


The Huntress and the Mad King

by LadyFogg



Series: Huntress & the Mad King [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Language, NSFW, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Sex, Sexual Content, Smut, Violence, mad king au, minecraft au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-13 11:04:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3379184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyFogg/pseuds/LadyFogg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You’re a hunter living in the forests of Achievement City, just trying to survive. When you inadvertently save the life of the Mad King, you do whatever you can to rectify your mistake. The problem is, the Mad King now has his eye on you, and his plans for you are not exactly what you’d expect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

You’re always up with the sunrise.

It’s hard not to be when it streams through your windows, illuminating the entire cabin. It’s the way you prefer it. You lay in your bed, your red, wool blanket tangled around your legs. You stare at the wooden ceiling as the fuzzy images of your nightmare begin to subside. You can’t remember what it was about this time, but you assume it had something to do with monsters.

It’s always about monsters.

Your cabin isn’t very large, but it feels like home. You’ve lived there a few months and have done numerous renovations to make it your own. It had been abandoned when you first came across it. There are many abandoned homes and settlements throughout Achievement City.

Sometimes they are left because resources in the area deplete. Other times the Creepers and Endermen drive them out. The main reason is usually the King decides to claim the area for his own personal agenda.

This particular cabin didn’t seem to have either of those issues so you had claimed it for yourself. The thick forest hides it well from any casual travelers and resources in the area are plenty. You had set up a fence around the perimeter with chunks of glowstone on each post to keep the monsters at bay. So far it had worked well.

That didn’t stop the sounds.

Every night, as soon as the sun goes down the sounds of the monsters echo all around you. And the nightmares begin.

You hear chickens clucking outside and a cow mooing. Duty calls. You manage to extract yourself from your bedsheets and go about getting ready for the day. Your food stock is running low so after getting dressed you gather some supplies for a trip into the forest. You haven’t hunted in a few days and you’re hoping you can bring home a pig or wolf. Winter will be coming soon and the wolf’s pelt would serve you greatly.

After a breakfast of eggs and the last of your ham, you unlock the cabin door and step out with your bow drawn.

Thankfully you don’t have to use it. Your yard is clear of monsters as it seems your fence has held for another night. You lower your bow and take a quick assessment of your yard. You don’t have much, but since you’re only one person, you don’t need much. Your garden is small, but the vegetables are plenty and seem to be ready to be harvested. You have a few chickens clucking away in the coop you crafted, but you’re not going to collect the eggs they’ve laid until you return from hunting.

Your cow could also be milked, but again you’re going to wait.

You don’t know what the game will be like today and you don’t want to run the risk of getting caught in the forest when the sun goes down.

You trek across the yard, your bow in your hand and your quiver slung across your back. You have a leather satchel hanging from your hip, just in case you come across berries or any useful herbs.

There is a slight chill in the air. Soon goosebumps appear on your arms, but you know they will eventually disappear. Once the sun gets higher the forest will warm. Not that you mind the cool air. It’s helping the slight headache you have.

You move quietly through the forest, pausing occasionally to check on a few traps you had set the last time you hunted. Unfortunately almost all of them are empty and you sigh with frustration. Usually this area is plentiful with game and your traps are always full. However, ever since the King had decided to invite foreign dignitaries for the annual Vindication Day celebration, the hunting parties had expanded their search for food.

Vindication Day. What a joke. Vindication Day should be considered Enslavement Day.

If he would stop killing all the livestock in the kingdom, he wouldn’t have to expand his search, you think to yourself as you move deeper into the forest.

You hear rustling up ahead and duck into a nearby collection of bushes. You pull an arrow from your quiver and quickly draw your bow. After a few seconds, a large rabbit emerges from the fallen branches of a large oak. Before it can turn it’s head, you pierce it’s eye with your arrow.

It doesn’t make a sound.

Rabbits are good. You weren’t expecting to find one. You hadn’t seen one in months. It’s large, too. You remove your arrow from the body and slip it back into your quiver, before throwing the dead animal over your shoulder.  

Unfortunately that is the only animal you see for miles. By the time the sun is high in the sky, you’re sweaty and annoyed. You come across a lake and decide to stop for a rest. You pull a chunk of hard bread out of your satchel before dropping onto the ground beside the lake. You place your bow next to you and slide your quiver off your back.

The bread makes you thirsty so you take several handfuls of water from the lake and drink deeply. Your clothes are sticking to you uncomfortably. A swim would be wonderful.

You strip and dive into the water, taking several laps. The lake is cool and refreshing. You float on your back for several minutes before you make your way back to shore. As you pull yourself from the water, you hear movement nearby and immediately dive for your bow. As soon as you draw an arrow, the tip of an iron sword is at your throat.

You glare up at its owner, who smiles back cheekily.

“Will you look at that,” he says. “Never thought I’d catch you off guard, Huntress.”

“Mogar.”

Mogar gives a mock salute before pulling his sword away from your neck.

“How long have you been watching me?” you ask, lowering your bow.

“Not very,” he says, sliding his sword back into its scabbard. He is smart and has forgone his typical bearskin cloak for a simple wool one. Even that is too much for today. He takes it off and throws it down next to your belongings. “Just since you began swimming.”

“You sure your other half won’t be angry for you watching me swim naked?” you say in jest, reaching for your clothes so you can dress yourself.

“Lindsay probably would have watched too,” he jokes back.

“I meant Gavin,” you say with a laugh. “Where is he anyways?”

You hear more rustling before a scrawny man with a beard falls from a nearby tree. “Bollocks!”

“Speak of the devil,” you say, shaking your head at the tangled heap of limbs. “How can you be so good at hiding, but so terrible at moving?”

“Get up, you’re embarrassing yourself,” Mogar says with a sigh.

Gavin sheepishly pulls himself to his feet. “There was a bee, Mogar!” he says defensively.

Mogar rolls his eyes and the two begin to bicker as you finish getting dressed. “Any luck hunting?” you ask.

“Saw a pack of wolves about three miles north,” Gavin says. “But something scared them off before we could corner one.”

“Stupid royal hunters,” Mogar says, spitting at the ground. “They wouldn’t know how to hunt properly if their lives depended on it.”

“That’s the problem isn’t it?” you say. “Their lives don’t depend on it. Their lovely King keeps them so comfortable.”

“While the rest of us barely get by,” Gavin mutters darkly, tossing a stone into the lake.

“And now with Vindication Day coming up, there’s even less game in this forest,” you add. You pause for a moment before asking, “Any word?”

The two men exchange looks. “No,” Mogar says after a beat. “None.”

“Jack hasn’t sent anything in a while,” Gavin follows up. “Last we knew he was on his way to mountains. We heard rumors that Geoff built some great wall of lava and that’s where he has been hiding but…” He trails off. There were so many rumors and stories nowadays, you never know what’s true.

“King Geoff,” Mogar corrects him. “He’s the rightful king. He should be on that throne.” His voice grows louder as his anger is rising. Gavin puts a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him. He shrugs it off. “Don’t! I’m fucking fine. I’m good...just...he’s the king.”

“We know,” you say. “Any word on Ray? Didn’t he return from the north?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t find anything either,” Gavin says. “A few igloos here and there but no sign that King Geoff has been there recently.”

King Geoff was the rightful ruler of Achievement City. But ever since he left Ray as Steward to the Throne, he hadn’t been seen in years. Ray had ruled in his stead for several months before the events of Vindication Day, when the Mad King had usurped the throne.

Ray was exiled to the outskirts of Achievement City, but citizens still faithful to him and King Geoff shelter him as best they can. He prefers solitude however. He hasn’t been able to forgive himself for not protecting the throne.

The news is troubling. King Geoff is the only one who can restore order to Achievement City and if he is never found, the Mad King with always reign.

You sigh and gather your things. You’ve stayed in one place too long and you still have to return home with enough daylight to take care of your chores. “Well, we can only keep looking,” you say, slinging your quiver onto your back once more and picking up the rabbit you killed.

Mogar and Gavin mumble words of agreement. You say your farewells before turning to head back into the forest. “Be careful,” Mogar calls after you. “We saw some tracks west of here that look like they could be human. Probably the royal hunters.”

You nod with understanding and wave before disappearing back into the trees.

An hour or so later you find the tracks he indicated, but see no sign of the hunters. You notice broken logs and disturbed earth and it makes you angry. If they hadn’t killed all the game, they probably scared it away.

Realizing the rabbit you shot is the only game you’re going to get today, especially if the hunters had been in the area, you reluctantly make your way back to your cabin. Along the way you stop to collect berries and some herbs for cooking and healing. You find a small berry bush and spend a few minutes carefully digging up the roots so you can replant it outside your cabin.

By the time you reach your perimeter, you’re sunburned and exhausted. You make quick work of planting the bush and skinning the rabbit.

Next you collect the chicken eggs and take care of the cow you neglected earlier.

You are just placing the jug of milk on the table when you hear something outside. It’s muffled but it could be shouting, and possibly howling. You quickly grab your bow and arrows and head back outside. You can’t see anyone, but the noises are closer now, maybe fifty paces or so from the gate of your fence. Cursing you run back into the woods, thinking only of Mogar and Gavin. It wouldn’t be the first time they followed you home, only to come across trouble.

When you find the source of the noise, it isn’t your friends however.

The pack of wolves that had been spotted earlier has doubled back. They are advancing on a man, covered in black from head to toe. You can’t see his face as the hood of his cloak is obscuring it. The wolves are barking and snarling, and have backed him into a corner. The corpse of one of wolves lies a few feet away and the man’s sword is dripping with blood.

Without thinking you release an arrow, killing the pack leader just as he lunges for the man. The wolf falls to the ground with a thud. You release another arrow and another wolf drops. The man swings his sword, and cuts down one more wolf. You notch another arrow, but by now the remaining wolves are running away, disappearing into the forest.

The man stumbles to his knees and you rush to his side.

“Are you hurt?” you ask, kneeling.

The hood slips from his head and your eyes are met with startling blue ones.

You recognize his face instantly and jerk back, drawing your bow once more. “Don’t move!” you order.

His face breaks into an amused smirk and his eyebrow raises. “Would you really kill the man you just saved?”

“I will if he’s the Mad King,” you spit.

King Ryan’s amused smirk doesn’t waver. “Just King Ryan, if you please,” he corrects. “Though ‘Mad King’ does have a wonderful ring to it.”

Neither of you move.

“I thank you for making quick work of those wolves,” he says, taking his eyes off of yours so he can examine his arm. You can tell he’s injured but you don’t dare take your eyes off his face to look. Your grip on your bow tightens. “I daresay you may have even saved my life. I’m sure the kingdom will rejoice.”

Anger washes over you as you realize what you’ve done. If you hadn’t intervened those wolves would be tearing him apart. “That can easily change,” you threaten, pressing the tip of your arrow under his chin. He doesn’t seem bothered. In fact, his smirk widens.

“Save a man from beasts only to kill him yourself,” he says. He sounds almost impressed.

You hear footsteps all around you and shouts. His hunting party has finally caught up.

“Drop your bow!” a voice yells at you.

You exhale slowly, but don’t relax your arm. You can take him out right now and be done with it. His hunters aren’t very good, but there are more of them then there are of you and you know you won’t live.

The Mad King studies you for a moment before slowly getting to his feet. You don’t release the arrow. You want to. But something is stopping you. You want to let it go. You tell yourself to just do it. Your body isn’t listening.

Slowly, you lower your bow.

You’re trying so hard not to shake. Your anger is slowly subsiding, being replaced by fear. You realize just how much trouble you are in. You threatened the King, to his face. This is not good.

“You are in the presence of King Ryan!” one of the hunters snaps. “On your knees, peasant!”

You defiantly remain standing. Something in the way the King looks at you makes you uncomfortable. His eyes rake up and down your body before locking on yours again. It’s clear you are not going to kneel before him. A hunter steps closer to you and you feel the tip of a sword touch your bare throat. “Kneel!”

Your eyes flicker between the sword and the King. But you don’t kneel.

He studies you for a moment and a hush falls over the party.

“Lower your weapons!” King Ryan suddenly spits at his hunters. “You will not harm the woman who saved your king!”

“But, my lord, she threatened you with an arrow,” says the hunter with his sword to your throat.  

The King flashes him a deadly glare before swinging his sword. The man falls to the ground with a strangled sound, his throat slit. His sword knicks you as he drops but you barely flinch.

“Anyone else dare to question the King?”

The hunters remain silent.

“My Lady,” the King says, addressing you. “You saved my life and I am in your debt.” He reaches forward to take your hand. You jerk away and the hunters raise their weapons again.

“I said lower your weapons!” King Ryan bellows. “Do not disobey me again!”

The hunters do as they’re told. He reaches for you once more, but you don’t move this time. He takes the bow from your hand and examines it. Your other hand curls tightly around the arrow you’re still holding.

“Did you make this yourself?” he asks. You don’t answer.

“The King asked you a question!” someone snaps.

“That’s quite alright, Kerry,” King Ryan says to him. “She’s a woman of few words it would seem.”

Still holding your bow in one hand, he gently takes your free hand and brings it to his lips. “You have my undying gratitude,” he says smoothly before placing a soft kiss on your knuckles.

You expect the waves of disgust to hit you. But instead, you receive a jolt of electricity. It startles and confuses you. You jerk away again but this time his hand closes around your wrist. “I am not going to hurt you,” he says.

“I don’t believe you,” you say before you can stop yourself.

His booming laugh echoes throughout the forest. “Always on your guard it would seem,” he says. “I can appreciate that. May I ask the name of my rescuer?”

“Not if you expect me to answer.”

You hear several hunters gasp at your insolence but you don’t take your eyes off the man in front of you. He’s enjoying this exchange. It’s evident by the look on his face and the fact that you still live. He lets go of your wrist only to reach up and gently wipe away the beads of blood trickling down from the scratch on your neck.

Before you can blink his hand closes around your throat and he brings your face close to his. “When your King asks you a question you answer,” he says darkly, his lips merely inches from yours. “I’m willing to overlook the insolence this time, but do not test me.”

You’re still holding the arrow and you press the tip of it into his rib. It doesn’t seem like he’s wearing much armor and you know he can feel the sharp point. It’s obscured by his cloak however, and his hunting party doesn’t see.

“I wouldn’t do that,” the King mutters softly to you. “My hunters will strike you dead on the spot the second you do.”

You’ve never glared harder in your life. “Do you think I care?” you respond.

He pulls away and laughs again, yanking the arrow out of your hand as he does. “Gentlemen, you all could learn a thing or two from this young woman,” he says, tossing it and your bow to the ground. You don’t dare reach for them. “I say we’ve done enough hunting for the day. Gather the wolves and let’s return to the palace.”

You stand rooted in your spot as the hunters move around you, gathering the beasts you killed. The King doesn’t move either. He stands in front of you, his eyes never leaving your face. “Kerry,” he calls over his shoulder.

“Yes, my lord?” his squire asks, hurrying to his side at once.

“Make sure to extend an invitation for the Vindication Feast to my savior,” King Ryan says. “It’s the least I can do to thank her for saving my life.”

“Keep your invitation,” you tell him. “In fact, I know exactly where you can put it.”

Kerry’s eyes widen considerably and he stares at the Mad King expectedly, waiting for him to react. King Ryan just raises an eyebrow. “The party is in three days time,” he says. “You will receive your invitation tomorrow. I look forward to our next meeting.”

And with a sweep of his cloak, he and his hunters turn to leave. It’s not until they have disappeared into the forest that you collapse to your knees, shaking.

\--

“What the actual fuck?!” Mogar exclaims. “You had a chance to kill him and you didn’t fucking take it!”

He, Gavin and Lindsay are sitting around your table as you pace your cabin. The sun is setting and you have already started a fire in the fireplace. Even still, you are shivering. In the middle of the table lies a bundle wrapped in brown linen, with a small scroll resting on top. The package arrived via messenger in the early morning and you had not opened it.

“I know, I know!” you snap. “I’ve already chastised myself enough. I don’t need it from you.”

“I cannot believe you saved his life,” Gavin says with a shake of his head.

“I didn’t know it was him!” you exclaim. “If I had, I would have let the wolves tear him to pieces.”

“No you wouldn’t have,” Lindsay says. “You’re not that kind of person.”

You know she’s probably right, but you won’t admit it out loud. “What am I supposed to do?” you ask. “At that stupid feast is the last place I want to be. But if I don’t go, guaranteed there will be warrant out for my head by tomorrow morning.”

“So what!” Mogar exclaims. “We pack up whatever you have in this place and we go. Tonight!”

“I think she should go to the feast,” Lindsay says, crossing her arms.

The three of you look at her bewildered.

“Why the bloody hell would she do that?” Gavin asks.

Lindsay gives them a coy smile. “She obviously has something the King wants,” she says.

“What could I possibly have that he wants?” you ask.

She gives you a pointed look. “You said he was eyeing you,” she reminds you. “Clearly he saw something he liked.” The implication of his gaze hits you and fall into a shocked silence.

“So what if the King wants to bang her?” Mogar says.

“All the more reason to get the heck out of here,” Gavin says.

“This is the perfect opportunity to fix her screw up,” Lindsay explains.

The three of you exchange glances as you each catch on to her meaning. “Lindsay,” you say softly. “Are you suggesting we assassinate the King?”

She pulls a small vial out of her pocket and carefully places it on the table.

The four of you fall silent, all staring at the small cylindrical glass container. You’re not sure what type of potion is in the vial but if Lindsay was offering it as a solution, it wasn’t anything good.

Mogar’s face breaks into a mischievous smile. “I love you so much,” he tells his wife.

Gavin bites his lip in thought as he looks up at you. “What do you think?” he asks.

You cross your arms tightly, clutching your elbows. You can’t take your eyes off the vial. Can you do it? Do you have it in you to poison the King? Killing him face to face with weapons is one thing. It was an even fight and he could easily defend himself. But poisoning him…

“I doubt I’ll be able to get close enough to use this,” you say. “And his hunters already don’t trust me. They’ll all have their eyes on me.”

“We have time to figure that out,” Lindsay says with a wave of her hand. “But you need to be committed to this. It’s your choice…”

You think on all the things he’s done, all the people he’s killed and all the villages he’s burned to the ground. You think of King Geoff, somewhere out there in the world, and Ray angry and exiled.

“I’ll do it,” you say.

Your friends exchange grins.

“But, we still need to find King Geoff,” you tell them. “Once the Mad King is dead, the throne will be empty. Ray can take it back as Steward for a time, but only Geoff will restore it.”

They agree and cheering breaks out. You give a rueful smile. “How long will it take for the poison to take effect?”

“Several hours,” Lindsay says. “You’ll be long gone by the time it does.”

You nod. At least there’s a small chance you’ll actually live. You move the scroll of the linen package and pull it across the table towards you. “Looks like I’m going a feast,” you say, unwrapping the package to lay your eyes on the gift from the King.

\--

It was a completely stupid idea and you can’t believe you agreed to it.

You are standing in ballroom of the palace, completely uncomfortable and on edge. The dress the King had sent is too tight and shows far too much cleavage for your liking. The only solace you have is the dagger strapped to your thigh.

It wasn’t just the dress and the people making you uncomfortable, it was the location. Being there, in King Geoff’s ballroom. It didn’t even look like it used to. The once white walls had been changed to various shades of red, with black here and there. A large gold statue with an obsidian base sat directly in the center of the room and nearly reached the ceiling.

Everyone was admiring it and commenting on how “gorgeous” it was. It was just four large cubes stacked on top of each other. Nothing special and a complete waste of space.

Several men had approached you to try and strike up a conversation but the glares you gave them sent them hurrying away. Long wooden tables lined the walls and were overloaded with various kinds of foods and delicacies. It made you sick to see so much food for so few people.

Suddenly the royal guard comes into view and the King is announced.

He struts into the ballroom with confidence.

Seeing him in his finest clothes with his red satin cloak and gold crown nestled upon his dirty blonde hair, there was no mistaking him for a common man. You have to admit he looks incredibly handsome. You try to blend into the crowd, but he spots you almost instantly. His eyes immediately darken with lust as he takes in your appearance.

You know it should disgust you, but your stomach flutters almost pleasantly.  

He pushes through the crowd towards you. You make no effort to meet him halfway.

When he is standing before you, the crowd seems to fall silent as they watch.

“I must say I’m almost sad to see you,” he says. “I was sure you wouldn’t accept my generous invitation.”

“How could I refuse?” you ask, trying to force a smile. It’s obviously not the response he was hoping for as his face grows stern. But he doesn’t say anything to you. Instead he turns to address the crowd.

“Friends! It’s wonderful to see you all,” he says, flashing them a dazzling smile. “Please, eat and be merry! Join me in celebrating this most special day!”

The crowd cheers for him and you feel the bile rise in your throat at the thought of these people actually believing their King cares whether or not they enjoy themselves. It’s all for show. Music begins to play and before you can figure out what you should do or say next, the King is grabbing your hand and pulling you onto the dance floor.

He holds you so close your body is flush against his. It takes you by surprise and you don’t even have time to pull away before he’s sweeping you across the dance floor.

Bad. This is very bad. When you are planning to assassinate the King, it’s best not to be seen with him in front of everyone at the feast.

He isn’t looking at everyone however. He is looking at you. Only you. One hand feels hot against your lower back while the other grips your hand tightly to keep you from letting go.

“I never did get your name,” he says.

He doesn’t phrase it as a question so you don’t respond. You tear your eyes away from his to glance at the crowd gathered around you.

But, his hand releases yours to grab your chin and force you to look at him. “The insolence was endearing before, but I grow bored with it,” he says in a low dangerous voice. “I will not ask you for your name again.”

It's so hard not to pull away and smack him. You want to so badly. Instead you settle for a glare as he releases your chin and takes your hand once more.

“Huntress,” you mumble.

He raises an eyebrow. “I doubt that is your given name,” he says.

“It’s the one that matters,” you tell him. Your friends don’t even know your given name and that’s how you prefer it.

“Well, Huntress,” he says. “I was not lying when I said I was in your debt.”

“This invitation is payment enough,” you say, keeping eye contact. It’s strange. Dancing with him like this and being this close...he almost seems pleasant. But you’ve seen his anger. You’ve witnessed it change at the flip of a switch. It doesn’t matter how handsome he is. How blue his eyes are. How much his smirk makes your stomach clench…

“Nonsense,” he says dismissively, moving you across the dance floor with grace. “You saved the life of a man you clearly despise. Not many people would do the same.”

“I don’t despise you,” you tell him.

He narrows his eyes. “Don’t lie to me,” he says icily. “You threatened to put an arrow through my throat. Do not think I have forgotten.”

“I didn’t think you did,” you say. “I don’t despise you. I pity you.”

He looks at you curiously. “And why is that?”

“It must be hard to run a kingdom when most of the subjects aren’t loyal to you,” you tell him.

“Loyalty can be bought,” he says. He pulls you closer as the music slows. “Besides, your precious King Geoff is the one who left the throne vacant. It would have been a crime not to take it.”

You stiffen at the mention of Geoff and he immediately notices.

“What?” he asks softly into your ear. His breath ghosts across your skin and goosebumps decorate your neck and shoulders. “You thought I didn’t know who you’re associated with? I’d be a poor king if I didn’t.”

You let out a shaky breath. “My loyalty is to myself,” you say.

“Oh I don’t doubt that at all,” he says. “I’m actually curious what you thought you would be able to accomplish tonight.”

You pull back slightly to look at him with confusion. He stops moving and his hand slips away from your back. Between you he holds the potion vial Lindsay had given you. Your heart drops and you suddenly feel sick. Lindsay had sewn the vial into a small pocket in one of the many folds of your dress. You had been so focused on what he was saying, you never felt him locate it.

You look between him and the vial and swallow thickly. His face darkens as his hand closes tightly around the vial. “I personally oversaw the design and crafting of your dress,” he says. “Did you think I would not notice the alteration?”

You remain silent and watch as he drops the small vial onto the ground and crushes it under his foot. His arm suddenly snakes around your waist and he begins to lead you off the dance floor.

The guests are too wrapped up in the feast around you to notice. He leads you across the room to the small door meant for servants. A few of his guards do notice and make a move to follow. He waves them off impatiently and pulls you into the kitchen. Servants are scurrying around prepping even more food and carrying empty dishes to the wash basin, as full dishes are taken to the ballroom. They avoid eye contact with both of you as King Ryan leads you through the kitchen into a corridor.

Once you are away from prying eyes, you begin to tremble.

 _He’s going to kill me,_ you think.

His arm slips from your waist and you briefly think to make a run for it. However, before you can he grabs your hips and pushes you up against the nearest wall. With a snarl his mouth is attacking yours in a bruising and vicious kiss. You feel his hands gather up the skirts of your dress, and suddenly his fingers are ghosting over your inner thigh.  

You immediately shove him away and reach for your dagger.

He smirks and holds it up. “Such a naughty girl,” he says, bringing the point of the blade to your neck.

You freeze.

But he doesn’t cut you, he draws the dagger down and slices the bodice of your dress. The dagger is tossed to the side and he uses his hands to rip the fabric apart slightly. Your breasts spill out of the ruined top. You don’t have time to cover yourself because his mouth is on your collarbone and his hands are kneading your breasts.

A groan escapes your lips.

It surprises you and clearly pleases King Ryan. He presses his body flush against yours. His mouth trails open-mouthed kisses up your neck and he takes your earlobe between his teeth. Before you can stop yourself, your hands slide into his hair, nearly knocking his crown off.

His lips seek yours and this time you respond to his kiss. His tongue fills your mouth and you hungrily accept, massaging your own against his eagerly. His hand slips from your breast to move back under your skirts.

You hear footsteps then and a voice timidly asks, “My King?”

King Ryan yanks his mouth away from yours but does not move away from your body. “Are you blind, or can you not see that I am busy?!” he bellows, turning to look at the servant. “How dare you interrupt me?”

You turn your face away from the servant. You’re not only embarrassed that you were just caught in such an inappropriate position with the King, but you also don’t want the servant to see your face.

“I-I’m sorry, my lord!” the servant sobs, quickly kneeling. “Lord Caleb was-was inquiring about your presence!”

At this the King pulls away. You quickly push your skirts down before trying to cover your chest with the strips of shredded fabric.

“Tell Lord Caleb that my whereabouts are none of his concern,” the Mad King snarls, rounding on the poor servant. “In fact, unless the kingdom is on fire, I am not to be sought out or disturbed! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!”

The servant nods furiously, but doesn’t move. He seems too scared.

“Well?! What are you waiting for?” King Ryan snaps.

You have never seen anyone run away as fast as the servant does. When his footsteps have faded, the Mad King turns back to you. Without speaking he grabs your wrist and begins to pull you down the corridor. You hope to grab your dagger, but he kicks it as he strolls away and it spins into a dark corner.

Part of you knows you should resist him, should pull and kick and scream. But your body is on fire and is buzzing in a way it hasn’t done in years.

God help you. You want him.

You reach a large oak door and he pushes you through it. You nearly stumble into his chambers and if it wasn’t for his hand on your wrist, you would have fallen. He slams the door behind him and drags you over to the large four poster bed in the middle of the room.

He shoves you on to it, grabs what’s left of your bodice and rips the dress in half. You sit up and shrug out of the fabric before reaching for him, crushing your lips against his desperately. You can’t stop yourself. His mouth is intoxicating and his hands are groping and pinching and _twisting_ …

“So this is what it takes to make your blood boil…” he purrs as he pulls away from the kiss. One of his hands slides into your hair and yanks your head back. “Seeing you break like this…” He seizes your hand and brings it to the front of his silk trousers. He’s hard against your hand and you take the opportunity to give him a firm rub. He growls. “Such a willing whore, aren’t you?”

His words are like a slap in the face and they anger you.

You yank yourself away from his touch and place both hands on his chest, pushing him with all your strength. It takes him off guard and he actually stumbles backwards and falls to the ground. You spring to your feet and try to flee to the door. His hand grabs your ankle and you go crashing to the ground. You try to get back up, but he is on you now, wrestling you onto your back.

“Ahh, this is a scenario I find just as appealing,” he says coolly, pinning your arms above your head. “You struggling to get away…” He grunts as he roughly thrusts his clothed erection against your thigh. Despite yourself, you arch into him with a soft sigh. You don’t understand why you’re giving in, but you can’t help it.

When his hand dives into your smallclothes you whimper loudly.

“Hmmm...seems like this is just as appealing for you,” he says with a sneer. His fingers press roughly against your moistening flesh and you moan.

You bite your lip as he slides a finger swiftly into you. It feels so good, you can’t help but try to move your hips. He crooks his finger the right way and you’re suddenly seeing stars. You try to pull your wrists out of his grasp so you can touch him, but he doesn’t let you go.

“Your body betrays you, Huntress.” His voice sounds strained and you can tell he is growing bored of toying with you. “I am the King and I will have what I want…” He withdraws his hand from your smallclothes and you can’t help but whimper with disappointment. “Willing or not.” He brings his mouth down to yours and kisses you hard, biting your lower lip between his teeth. You cry out.

“Are you willing?”

You find yourself nodding. Your body is so hot and you’re so wet. His erection is digging into your thigh and you gently lift your leg to rub your knee against the bulge. He closes his eyes briefly as he grunts. He lets your wrists go and you both work on ridding him of his clothing and removing your smallclothes.

As soon as he’s naked he grabs your head and forces it downward. You eagerly take him into your mouth, sliding the throbbing shaft as far in as it can go. He lets out what sounds like a strangled moan and lets you set the pace, your head bobbing up and down in his lap. His hands are tangled into your hair and his grip is painful, but you’re so focused on pleasing him you barely notice.

He suddenly pulls you away and you fall onto your back once more.

With a growl he’s on you again, pushing your legs apart and taking hold of himself. When he slides into you it’s achingly slow and you can’t help but moan loudly. You haven’t felt so full in a long time. To be honest, you doubt you ever were that full before. After a few small pumps of his hips he’s fully sheathed inside you and you wrap your legs around his waist.

Your head is tilted back and your eyes are closed as he begins to move but that’s not what he wants. He grabs your chin roughly. “Open your eyes,” he demands, almost pulling completely out of you before surging back in hard and fast. “I want you to look at me when I take you! I want you to know that’s it’s me inside of you!”

You drag your eyes open to meet his. They are piercing, ice-blue orbs that bare into yours so intensely you know you can’t look away. His thrusts are so quick and deep they are on the brink of painful but you wouldn’t dare ask him to slow down. You know he won’t listen, but you also don’t want him to stop. You want him to keep going because the more he moves inside of you the closer and closer you get to the edge.

Your hips are meeting his thrusts now and your hands once again tangle in his hair, knocking his crown to the floor. It clatters loudly and rolls away. His mouth is on yours again, kissing, biting, licking…

You’re so close now. You begin to tense up, ready for the release, needing it.

“Are you going to come for me?” King Ryan asks, slamming his hips into yours again and again. “You want to don’t you?”

You somehow manage to nod and try to reach between your bodies. He knocks your hand out of the way and as soon as his thumb swipes across your overly sensitive nub, you unravel completely. He’s right behind you, biting your neck and shoulders as he spills himself inside of your shaking body.

You both lay still, trying to catch your breath.

The stone floor is now hurting your back and your whole body is beginning to ache. The King says nothing. He slides out of you and wordlessly stands. You make a move to get up but he scoops you off the ground and into his arms. Almost gingerly he sets you down on the bed before climbing in next to you.

Sleep is tugging at you, and you don’t have the energy or motivation to fight it. You both fall asleep without speaking.

\--

Hours later, your eyes fly open and you immediately sit up. The chamber is cold and dark, say for a few glowing embers in the fireplace. Next to you, the King is fast asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily. Carefully, you extract yourself from his embrace and slide yourself out of bed.

Your ruined dress is in a heap on the floor and you quietly bend down to pick it up. Your hand finds the second pocket hidden in one of the seams and you extract a second small vial.

You have to hand it to Lindsay, her plan worked like a charm.

You straighten your back and stare at the small vial in your palm. It’ll be easy. He’s already sleeping. Just pour a few drops into his mouth and slip out the door. By the time it hits him you’ll be long gone and no one will even remember you were there.

But the longer you stare at the vial, the harder it is to move.

Why? Why is it so hard? He isn’t the rightful king. He has no claim to the throne and no heir to pass it to. He’s a murderer and a tyrant. His people starve while he throws feasts and takes their homes. He burns villages on a whim and decapitates servants for not doing something exactly how he wants.

Your hand closes around the vial and you turn to look at the bed.

Blue eyes are staring back at you. “Have you decided?” he asks softly.

You don’t answer.

Your eyes roam his naked body and you immediately feel a wave of desire wash over you. You still remember the feeling of his hands all over your body, his mouth at your throat, his cock throbbing inside of you and filling you up so deliciously and perfectly it’s like you were made for each other.

You look down at the vial and gently run your thumb across the smooth surface. Slowly you let it slip from your fingers and it falls to the floor, rolling under the bed.

He reaches his hand out to you with a smirk and you take it, letting him pull you back into bed and his waiting arms.


	2. Chapter 2

When you awaken hours later, you are alone. The King is no where to be seen. 

There is a folded dress on the nightstand next to you, but no note or other indications that the King wants you to stay. You ease your aching body out of bed and wince when you try to stand. Your legs are weak and it takes a moment for you to steady yourself. Bruises and love bites decorate your chest and thighs. He had taken you again when you had climbed back into his arms.

And then a third time in the hours of the early morning.

As you lift the dress off the oak nightstand, you notice your dagger laying underneath. The thought that he was standing next to you, dagger in hand while you slept is troubling. With trembling hands you pull the dress over your head. It’s a simple thing made of cotton, but it feels nice and warm. It hugs your frame slightly, but not enough where it will hinder you on your walk home. The dress he had given you for the feast still lies in a ruined heap on the floor where you both had abandoned it the previous night.

You notice a pair of leather hunting boots next to the bed and you slip into them, thankful you don’t have to walk home in the cloth slippers you wore to the feast. They are a little big, but they will work and you slide your dagger into your left boot. By the time you finish getting dressed, you are a little more steady on your feet and you don’t ache as much. The ache you do have is a good ache. An ache that you haven’t felt before, but desperately would love to feel again.

You don’t want to wait for him to return however.

As much as you enjoyed being with him, you are ashamed of yourself. Ashamed you couldn’t do what your friends asked of you. Ashamed you chose to bed the man you were supposed to murder.

You make your way to the bedroom door and carefully open it. The corridor is empty. You slip out of the room and carefully close the door behind you. You don’t meet a single servant on your way out of the palace and you wonder if there is a reason for that. Soon you find yourself running into the woods towards home. The further you get away from the palace, the more you begin to panic. What are you going to say to your friends? How will you explain that the King did not take the poison?

By the time you reach your cabin it’s midday and you’re shaking with exhaustion. You realize you never ate at the feast and you are famished. Lindsay greets you at the gate, a large smile on her face. “Did you hear the news?” she asks.

You frown. “No,” you say. “I was busy trying to slip out of the palace.”

“The King called off his breakfast feast with the foreign dignitaries,” she says excitedly. “Apparently one of the servants reported he’s ill.”

You try to hide your surprise. The only way someone reports something is if the King allows it. Why is he letting it spread that he is ill? He wouldn’t care enough to make it seem like your assassination attempt worked. Would he?

“Well, he would be, wouldn’t he?” you say as Lindsay closes the gate behind you.

She takes in your appearance and grimaces. “I’m sorry,” she says. “It must have been horrible.”

You remember the fire that coursed through your body as his hands gripped your hips, how his cock pulsed inside of you as he took you for the third time, his chest pressed against your back and his mouth at your shoulder…

“I’ll manage,” you say as you both head into the house.

Gavin is serving the midday meal and when he sees you he loads up a plate of eggs and beef sausages Mogar must have traded for. You wolf down the food ravenously as your friends watch expectedly. You know they want details on the feast and poisoning. But they are patient, and you take your time to think about what to tell them.

As you push your empty plate away, Mogar puts down his cup. “Well?” he asks.

You tell them about the feast, about King Ryan finding the decoy vial, about him dragging you away. You gloss over details about the sex. About how your body has never felt so alive, how nimble and quick his fingers could bring you to the edge, how you willing accepted him.

“When he was sleeping, I poured the other vial down his throat,” you say, before taking a sip from the warm beverage Gavin just poured for you.

“You were there all night,” Lindsay says.

You try to keep yourself from flushing red by taking an usually large gulp of your drink. But Mogar saves you from answering.

“She can’t just immediately poison him after sex, Lindsay,” he says. “She probably had to wait for him to be fully asleep.”

You immediately nod. “Exactly,” you say. “I had to stay until he left this morning. Then I slipped away.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Gavin says. “Less suspicious that way. Who would stick around after poisoning the King?”

You nod again eagerly. “That’s what I figured,” you lie.

“Smart,” Mogar says, impressed. Lindsay doesn’t look very convinced, but eventually she shrugs and sighs.

“Well, then we wait and see. You should come home with us today. If they come looking for you, it’d be safer if you aren’t here.”

You’re too exhausted to pack up and leave. “I’d rather stay another night or so,” you tell them. “It’s going to take me awhile to get things squared away. I was actually getting settled in this place.”

Your friends clearly don’t think that’s a good idea, but none of them are in a position to argue with you. You’re an adult. You can make your own decisions.

 _Evidently not good ones..._ you think to yourself.

The exhaustion is setting in now and you can barely keep your eyes open. Your body is starting to ache again and you want nothing more than to crawl into bed. Seeing that you can barely keep your eyes open, your friends decide to head home and leave you to rest. You show them out and lock the gate behind them, waving as they disappear into the woods. They have already taken care of your chores for you, so after making sure the fence is secure and the glowstone is in place, you go back into the cabin and lock the door behind you. You slip out of your hunting boots and pull the dress over your head, carefully draping it on one of your chairs.

You heat up a basin of water so you can wash yourself. The bruises and bites look darker now. You’re happy they were in places your friends couldn’t see. You wouldn’t have wanted to try to explain them, or at least explain how much you enjoyed receiving them.

Once you’ve washed up, you ease your sore body into your bed. Your small bed never bothered you before, but after spending the night in comfort, it takes you awhile to relax. Eventually you let your eyes close and fall into a deep slumber.

When you drag your eyes open again, night has long since fallen. Your body is stiff and your joints crack as you stretch. You lay in bed for a few moments, thinking about what you’ve done and how you’re going to get yourself out of this mess. Your instinct is to run. Just, pack up your belongings and not even tell your friends where you’re going. But that would also mean not telling the King where you are going.

 _That shouldn’t matter!_ you scold yourself. _He’ll probably just find someone else to warm his bed._

The thought annoys you slightly, but you shake it off. You make up your mind. Run. You’re going to run. You ease yourself out of bed and allow yourself another stretch. The night is silent around you and you can’t help but feel like something’s off.

Wait. That’s it. There’s silence.

No monsters. No growling, no hissing. Nothing.

As you strain your ears, you realize you do hear something. It sounds like rustling and you immediately grab the dagger from your boot. You press your ear to the door and you hear the noises again. Something is moving through your yard. Before you can think to grab your bow, there’s a loud knock at the door, causing you to jump.

Your first thought is zombies. Wouldn’t be the first time one somehow managed to get past the fence. The knocking continues, louder now. You hesitantly unlock the door and make a move to turn the knob. Before you can, the knob is turned from the outside and the door is pushed open. Someone barrels past you, causing you to stumble and drop your dagger.  

You recognize the cloak immediately, even before the hood slips down to reveal the Mad King’s face.

You close the door behind him and lock it. “What are you doing here?” you ask before you can stop yourself.

His eyes roam your naked body and he sneers. “Why does it matter? Expecting someone else?”

You look at him with confusion before he grabs you and slams you against the door, his mouth attacking yours. As much as you want to kiss him back, you don’t. Instead you push him away.

“I asked you what you’re doing here,” you say.

“I don’t need to explain myself to you,” he says, casually moving away from the door. He takes his cloak off and drapes it over your small table.

You make a move to reach for the dress you left on the chair so you can cover yourself, but he grabs you again and pulls you to his chest. “I wanted to see you,” he says softly.

His tone throws you off. This time when he kisses you it’s gentler, almost tender. You can’t help but melt into his embrace and slide your arms around his neck, kissing back eagerly. This time when you pull away you let out a shaky breath.

“You could have been hurt,” you say before you can stop yourself.

He chuckles. “Monsters can’t do much against this,” he says, patting the sword on his belt. The diamond weapon gleams in the light of the fireplace. He pulls away from you so he can remove the belt and place it on top of his cloak. “I must say, I enjoy walking in on you like this. Makes my work easier.”

His hands are back on your body now and you can’t help the moan that escapes your lips as his mouth falls to your throat. Your hands find the hem of his shirt and slide under to seek the feeling of his muscled torso against your palms. This time when he pulls away, his eyes are darkened with lust and he helps you remove his clothing. Once he’s naked in front of you, you feel that familiar stab of desire and lead him over to your small bed in the corner of the room.

He waits for you to lay down before he lays himself over your body, his mouth connecting with yours in an urgent, demanding kiss. His skin feels hot against yours and you can’t help but arch into him. When your lips part, his hand comes up to seize your chin. He forces you to meet his eye.

“You are mine now,” he tells you, his face twisted into a dangerous scowl. “You are not to take any others to your bed, is that understood?”

His possessive words anger you. You jerk your face out of his hand and push against his chest.

“Get off of me!” you snap. “I am not anybody’s. I am my own person! I decide who I bed, not you!”

He pulls back slightly in surprise, giving you enough room to scramble out from underneath him.

How could you fall for this again? It’s like every time he kisses you, you forget who he really is. He’s the Mad King. That name wasn’t given to him by mistake.

He watches you as you pace back and forth. “It seems as though you can’t make up your mind,” he says with a hint of teasing in his voice. “Kill him, not kill him, bed him, not bed him...answer me this, Huntress. Which do you want to do more? Do you want to kill me?” He stands slowly and stalks towards you, like a predator cornering his prey. “Or do you want to fuck me?”

His words send a shiver up your spine. You cross your arms across your bare chest to keep from shaking as you round on him. “I don’t know,” you grind out through clenched teeth. You don’t back away. You stand your ground, arms clenched tightly around yourself, chin raised in defiance.

“I had the same dilemma as you,” he confesses.

That doesn’t surprise you.

“When you threatened me, my first thought was to end your life right then and there,” he says coming to a stop in front of you. “‘Who is this woman who dares threaten the King’s life?’ I thought. But then you held your own against me and my hunters, and I became intrigued by you. And then, last night when I was buried deep inside of you…” he pauses and eyes you hungrily, his fingers reaching out to trail gently down your arms. You can’t help but shiver again. You close your eyes briefly and swallow past the lump that has formed in your throat. “I knew I would never be satisfied if I couldn’t have you whenever I wanted. However I wanted. But I’m the King, so that will never be an issue.”

He pulls you forward so your arms are locked between you and his chest. You can feel his manhood throbbing against your thigh and it takes all of your willpower not to rub against it.

“You can deny you want me, but it would be a waste of breath,” he says. “You had your chance to kill me twice now. And twice you let me live. You let me take you three times last night and each time you begged me for your release.” His hands slide down to cup your backside, forcing your folds to rub gently against his persistent erection. You bite your lip to keep from moaning. He leans down to press a soft kiss to your ear. “Whether you like it or not, you are already mine,” he whispers. “You were since that moment in the forest and you always will be now. Just say it out loud.”

It’s so tempting. Being pressed against his naked flesh with his hands on your body and his mouth whispering into your ear. You know you can deny him. You know you _should_ deny him.

But you just can’t. You can’t bring yourself to. Because he’s right. You’re already his.

You muster your strength and courage and gently push him away. “Why are there rumors that you are ill?” you ask.

He seems taken aback by your question. He regards you suspiciously for a moment before his face breaks into a rueful smile. “When it’s heard that there was an assassination attempt on the King’s life, which he overcame, that’s far less people to question my strength,” he says.

“And coincidentally puts me in the clear,” you say.

He shrugs. “That was not the intended point, but so be it,” he says. “Enough of this. I’m bored of talking. That’s not why I came to you.”

You let him take your hand and pull you over to the bed once more. This time he lays down first before pulling you on top of him. The significance of the switch does not go over your head. He is not on top of you, holding you down and forcing himself on you. You are on top. You are in control. If this continues...it’s your choice.

He looks at you with his eyebrow raised as he waits to see what your next move will be.

You close your eyes briefly. _God help me,_ you think.

You lean down and press your lips against his. You can feel him smile against your mouth before he slides his hand into your hair and tightens his hold on you. You pull back from the kiss briefly.

“But I am not yours,” you clarify. “Is that understood?”

He raises his eyebrow again. “We’ll see,” he responds, before his mouth is on yours again, hot and dominating. You groan and fall into the kiss, stretching your body against his. His erection is back between your legs and he thrusts up to grind against you. You respond by grinding down against him. His hands slide down to your hips and he uses them as leverage to continue to move against you.

Sparks are shooting through your body at an alarming rate and you’re soon slick and aching for him. You move to straddle his hips and lift yourself slightly. You feel him take hold of himself before the tip of his cock is pressing into your entrance. As you slide down onto him, you both groan loudly. You’re still sensitive from the prior evening, but it only makes you want him more. You grind down against him, taking him into you all at once.

He arches off the bed when you do, his eyes meeting yours. He looks starved and dangerous. His tongue briefly slips out to wet his dry lips and you rest your forehead against his. All your eyes can see are his bright blue ones.

His hands slide down to your backside again and he allows you to lift yourself briefly before he brings you back down with a hard thrust. You both set the pace as you lift yourself almost completely off his lap before he pulls you crashing back down. You repeat the action again several times, each time moving faster and faster.

His mouth is on your neck again, biting and tasting the flesh hungrily as you moan and clench around him.

He moves so you're both sitting up, your knees on either side of his and your arms wrapped around him. He holds you tightly and takes over your movements, lifting you up and down on his swollen manhood as his tongue slides up your neck.

“You...are mine…” he growls, his grip tightening on your backside until it’s almost painful. “When I call for you, you will come to me. When I visit you, you will welcome me. Is that clear?”

You can barely understand what he’s saying. You are far too gone to realize he’s speaking. His hand moves quickly between your bodies and seeks your clit. As soon as his thumb slides over the sensitive nerve you cry out.

“Just say it,” he demands, licking and biting your shoulder. “Say you are mine! The King commands you!”

You’re crying out constantly now and before you can stop yourself you say, “Yes...god yes, yours!”

You can feel his smile against your neck. He’s thrusting wildly and spilling himself into you, mercilessly rubbing your clit until you’re convulsing above him, crying his name as your release comes swiftly. He clutches you tightly to his chest, his hand coming up to stroke your hair almost lovingly. He places a soft kiss on your neck. “Mine,” he whispers so quietly you almost don’t hear him.

As he lays back, he pulls you with him.

 _Yours..._ you think, curling yourself into his side before you let your eyes close.

You awaken to the early morning sun hitting your face. Before you open your eyes, you know he’s not in bed with you. The blanket is tucked around you and you feel warm and snug. Gradually your eyes open. You notice there is still a fire in the fireplace. No, not still. A new fire. The logs look fresh. You sit up slowly and look around. You are alone.

There is a piece of paper folded on the table.

You ease yourself out of bed and drag the blanket with you, wrapping it around your body.

You grab the paper with a shaking hand and read the tidy, scrawl:

_Come to the palace tomorrow evening. Take the side servant entrance. No one will pay attention to you. Be discreet. ~ R_

You can’t help your smile. You fold the note back up again and slip it into the pocket of the dress he had given you. Carefully you fold the dress and place it in your chest with the rest of your clothes. There’s a knock on your door and you jump. You know it’s not the King, so you quickly throw on some random articles of clothing before rushing to the door.

When you fling it open, you’re taken by such surprise your mouth falls open.

It was the King. But not the King your thoughts have been consumed with.  

“K-King Geoff?” you stutter.

There he is, in the flesh. King Geoff. The rightful ruler of Achievement City. He looks older and tired, and he has the hood of his cloak drawn up. But it’s him, there’s no mistaking it. Mogar, Gavin, and Jack stand with him, and you hurriedly move out of the way to let them in.

As soon as they enter the cabin, you slam and lock the door. King Geoff takes off his cloak and you can’t help but throw yours arms around him in a tight hug. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen your friend and you’re overwhelmed.

“It’s good to see you too,” King Geoff says with a laugh, hugging you back.

You remember yourself and pull away, clearing your throat. “Sorry, I’m just so glad you’re back,” you say. “Both of you.” You hug Jack as well. “Where’s Ray?”

“At the farm, with Lindsay,” Mogar says. “They stopped there first before we came here.” He motions to Geoff. “I thought Gavin was going to kiss him. He practically jumped the King.”

Gavin grins and throws his arms around King Geoff, clinging to him like a small monkey.

“Alright, alright, enough hugging the King,” Geoff says with a smile, patting Gavin on the back. “I wish I was here under better circumstances.”

Your heart drops a little as he looks at you and for some reason you think he knows. He studies you for a moment, before pulling a scroll out from his cloak and turning to your small table. You and the others gather around as he spreads the scroll out.

“Okay,” he says. “We need to get the Mad King off my throne. And I’ve been working on a way to do that.”

“Is that where you’ve been this entire time?” Mogar asks.

He glances up at the lot of you. “No,” he answers. “I left for, other reasons.”

“Well then why did you leave?” Mogar demands. “I think we all have a right to know.”

King Geoff looks around at each of you before he rubs his face tiredly. “Alright, look,” he says straightening up. “I never wanted to be King. Achievement City was never meant to have a ruler. We were fine when it was all of us running things together. Now look what happened. Now the Mad King rules and the kingdom is suffering.”

“What are you saying?” Jack asks.

Geoff taps the the paper. “This,” he says. “This is a way for us to go back to the way we were before. No King. No hierarchy. Just all of us living the way we used to.”

“What is it?” you ask.

Geoff glances over at Gavin who has suddenly grown very, very shifty. “It’s something Gavin and I thought of when we were first building the palace, just in case.”

“Just in case what?” Mogar asks.

“Just in case we needed an exit strategy,” Gavin explains. “I’m sorry, I didn’t say anything. I was sworn to secrecy.”

Geoff looks at each of you. “It’s called Plan G…”

\--

Silence has fallen in the cabin once again as you all try to process what King Geoff has just asked of you. You sit on your bed, your hands clasped together as you stare at the ground unblinking. You don’t even know how to react. What to say.

Jack is the first one to break the silence. “You want us to destroy the palace?”

“Not just the structure itself,” Gavin says. “This will take out the grounds too.”

Geoff nods. “Well, most of them,” he says, pointing to the map he’s laid out. “But there is a tunnel here that Gavin and I built when we were laying the explosives.”

“You had a hand in this?” Mogar asks Gavin.

“I’m sorry, Mogar…”

“No, I’m not mad, I’m just impressed you kept a secret," Mogar says. "I don't see the point of this. We already poisoned him."

Geoff shakes his head. "It won't be enough," he says. "As soon as he knows something's wrong, he'll find something to counter it."

“But what about the servants?” Jack asks. “What about everyone besides the King? They aren’t bad people, Geoff. We’re going to kill them.”

“No, no we won’t,” Geoff insists. “We go in before the blast is set off. We get them all out without alerting the King. We give the guards a chance to flee with us. If they don’t, they can stay and die with their King. But we need to make sure the King is occupied.”

You know their eyes are on you before you even look up. The entire time Geoff has been talking you’ve been screaming internally. You’re torn. King Geoff is back. He’s back and trying to restore the world the way it was before. You’ve waited years for this.

But, at the cost of the Mad King.

And now they want to you distract him again. Distract him so they can destroy him. You’re being asked again to do the dirty work, except this time you don’t even know if you will have the strength to do it.

“What about the explosives?” you ask, clearing your throat to keep your voice from cracking. “Who will set those off?”

“The entrance to the tunnel down is right off the main bedroom,” King Geoff says looking you in the eye. “You’ll be the closest.”

“So you want me to distract the King,” you say slowly. “Then blow up the palace.”

The others are silent. The air is suddenly too thick and you feel yourself beginning to hyperventilate. You feel like the walls are closing in around you. You can’t take their stares anymore. You spring from the bed and bolt outside. The cool air doesn’t help. You try to stop yourself from breathing heavily but you can’t. Your hands are shaking and you pace the yard for a minute before leaning against the fence, clutching the wood tightly. You hear someone come up behind you and then King Geoff is leaning next to you on the fence.

You don’t speak to him. You don’t even look at him. You can’t seem to get your breathing under control and it’s coming out in sharp gasps now. 

“He got to you, didn’t he?”

It’s phrased as a question, but you don’t think it’s much of one. You glance over at Geoff to find his eyes filled with sadness.

“How did you know?” you ask.

He sighs and drapes his arm around you comfortingly. “Lindsay shared her suspicions,” he says. “There are rumors coming from the palace that the King is ill, yet rumors never spread unless he spreads them. She doesn’t think you poisoned him.”

You take a deep breath and shake your head. “I couldn’t do it.” Your voice sounds so small.

“She confided in me that she thought you were turned to his side.” You shouldn’t be so surprised. “Are you? On his side?”

You’re silent for a second. “I…” You almost say that you’re his. But that’s not what Geoff wants to hear. Nor is it something you want to say to anyone but King Ryan. “I’m...not on his side. I don’t agree with him. I don’t agree with what’s he’s done...he’s selfish and cruel and-”

“You love him?” Geoff finishes.

You shake your head. “No,” you say firmly. “I don’t, but…” You don’t even know what you feel for the Mad King anymore. Desire yes. But there is more to life than desire. Desire doesn’t seem like a strong enough word. “I pity him. And I guess…I had a moment of weakness. And he exploited it.”

“We were friends, you know,” Geoff says. “Before all of this…” He waves his hand in the general direction of the palace. “We were all friends. Then he stabbed me in the back. I don’t know what happened or why he is this way. But, if we don’t stop him, things are only going to get worse.”

“There’s a chance I could die,” you tell him. It’s a thought that you hadn’t considered until now. Even in this life or death decision you worry about the King’s life over your own. It makes your stomach clench unpleasantly.

Geoff winces slightly. “Unfortunately, there is a chance we can all die,” he says. “But, the alternative…” He doesn’t finish his sentence. “Look, this is your choice to make. The explosives are getting set off with or without your help.”

“And the King?” you can’t help but ask.

Geoff looks you directly in the eye. “What happens to him is up to you as well,” he says. “I’ll be inside. Let me know what you decide.”

With that he turns and walks back into the cabin. You stand by the fence for a long time, thinking over his words. Just because he has shown you passion, doesn’t erase everything King Ryan has done in the past.

You failed poisoning him before because you let your emotions get the best of you. You let your physical desire for the man cloud your judgment. Maybe if you can talk to him again you can see if there really is anything worth savings. You’re not naive. You don’t want to confess his love for you or any ridiculous declaration such as that. But if he could show some sort of remorse for the things that he’s done.

Part of you knows that he won’t. Part of you hopes that he won’t, because it will make your decision much easier to swallow.

You know what you have to do.

You go back into the cabin to find four sets of eyes staring at you.

“I’ll do it,” you say softly. Their cheers fall on deaf ears.

\--

There is a discussion on how to enter the palace unseen. You think on the letter the King left for you and with ash in your mouth, you tell them about the servants entrance. How it won’t be guarded tomorrow evening. They don’t ask how you know this, and you don’t offer them an explanation.

You don’t speak as you follow the men to the palace. The plan is set, and you are still wrestling with your decision. You lead them to the servants entrance and they follow you in. Once in the corridor, you separate. They leave to track down any servants or guests, while you go to the Mad King’s room. You’ll know when you can seek out the explosives when someone comes to warn the King. That’ll mean the men let him live.

Somehow you remember exactly where to find the King’s room. You let your feet carry you right to his door. But you don’t knock right away. You stare at the oak wood for a few moments, before raising a shaking hand. You pause for a moment, taking a deep breath before you knock three times.

The door opens immediately.

Before you can say anything, the King drags you into his room and his mouth is assaulting yours hungrily. You struggle against his embrace. You can’t. You can’t be fooled by your desire anymore. As much as you want to kiss him back, want him to take you again…

King Ryan pushes your back against the bedroom door, causing it to slam shut. His mouth doesn’t relent. After a moment you can’t fight anymore and clutch him desperately, realizing this may be the last time you will do so. You need to buy yourself time with him and if this is the way to do so, so be it.

His hand immediately pushes your dress up. It’s the one he gave you. The one you had packed away so carefully. Even before King Geoff had shown up you had planned to wear this dress to your meeting. It seems only appropriate. His note is no longer in the pocket. You kept it safely tucked away in your chest back in your cabin. You don’t want anything to happen to it. It’ll be the only words you have left from him.

“Hmmm…” the King hums in your ear as his hand slips into your smallclothes and swipes at your moist flesh. “You’re all ready for me, aren’t you?”

You nod helplessly as you hear his pants drop to the ground. He impatiently pushes your smallclothes down and you kick them to the side. Nudging your legs apart, he pulls back slightly to look you in the eye. “Isn’t it much easier to just give in?” he says huskily, his fingers teasing the sensitive place between your legs.

He doesn’t wait for you to answer. He removes his hand before pressing his thick cock into you, grunting as you take all of him in at once. You gasp and your head hits the door behind you. He thrusts into you wildly, gripping your thighs for leverage. You cling to him tightly, trying to keep the tears from falling.

You’ll miss this.

Miss how much he fills you. How he throbs inside of you. How demanding his mouth is against your throat.

If you survive you know you won’t take another lover. He’s ruined you for anyone else.

He’s mumbling something into your neck and you can’t hear because his face is buried in your flesh. You whimper when he hits the right spot. His lips are suddenly on yours again, but not before you hear a mumbled. “All mine.”

The tears are falling now. You cling to him tightly as your orgasm is ripped from you. Your body is shaking as he pumps his hips several more times before spilling himself into you with a strangle groan.

He rests his hand on the door beside you as he tries to catch his breath. You push your dress down and slip away from him, moving further into the room. The air is thick with tension and you know that he notices. You hear him turn to face you as he tucks himself back into his trousers.

“At the risk of sounding caring,” he drawls. “What’s the matter?”

 _Good,_ you say to yourself. _The worse he is, the easier this will be._

When you turn to face him, you know he notices your tears and his face hardens. “What’s wrong?” he asks sharply.

“This can’t continue,” you say.

You expect him to get angry but instead he rolls his eyes dramatically. “This again,” he mutters with a shake of his head. “You’ve already declared you are mine.” He crosses the room and takes you into his arms again. “Do I need to prove it to you again?

You collect yourself for a moment and back away. “The way I feel towards you doesn’t excuse the things you’ve done,” you tell him. “The things you will keep doing.”

“And yet you continue to let me take you,” he says with a sneer. “You know exactly who I am. What I’ve done. I have given you an out multiple times. I have no doubt that if you didn’t want me inside of you, you would have stopped me at any time. But you didn’t. You keep coming back for more. If you think this needs to end, then why are you here? Hmm? Why did you just let me fuck you against the door like a common whore?”

You slap him. With all the strength you can muster. He barely flinches.

“You’re a monster,” you growl. “You don’t care about anyone but yourself! You don’t care about this kingdom! All you do is sit on your throne and waste food and resources on parties and dignitaries…”

“True,” King Ryan says, lifting a hand to gently touch the cheek you slapped. “But do you know why I do such a thing? Who those dignitaries are? Their our kingdom’s only source of income. They have ways to deal with the monsters that terrorize our villages. That feast the other night? That was to celebrate our partnership with Lord Caleb that will hopefully solve the monster situation and open more trade routes.”

“That’s all well and good but what of the hundreds of people you’ve killed by your own hand?” you ask. “Don’t you have any remorse for them?”

He shrugs. “We can’t all be perfect,” he says. “Is this why you came here tonight? To mock me? To try to shame me? To try to prove that you’re better than me? You’re not the first person to call me the Mad King. I hear the whispers constantly and I embrace them. I know who I am and I make no apologies. Who are you? She who can’t make up her mind? I posed this question to you the other day and you couldn’t give me an answer then. So I’ll ask again. Do you want to kill me? Or do you want to fuck me? Which is it? You can’t have both!”

You open your mouth to speak, but nothing comes out at first. The tears are forming on your cheeks because you know your answer. If you have to answer his question this very moment, you know what it will be. You clear your throat and swallow before trying again. “I-I’m sorry…”

He looks at you with confusion. “For what?”

Suddenly there is a knock on the door and his face contorts into an angry mask.Your heart beats wildly in your chest. You’re out of time.

He flings the door open to find his squire Kerry. “How dare you disturb me?! Didn’t I give you strict orders to not bother me this evening?!”

“I’m sorry, my King,” Kerry says earnestly. “But the castle is under attack!”

King Ryan rounds on you as your words suddenly make sense. A rueful smile spreads across his face. “I see,” he says. “Kerry, with me. Where are the attackers?”

He sweeps from the room without giving you a backwards glance. You clench your hands into fists and will your body to stop shaking. You’ve made your choice. Now it’s time to follow through.

It takes a second for you to remember what you have to do. You grab one of the torches off the corridor wall and move in the opposite direction the King took. You’re quickly able to find the panel Geoff told you about and it opens to a staircase leading into a pitch black passage. You move down the steps as quickly as possible, but they are long and darkness seems to swallow you despite the torch. Smooth stone turns to cobblestone and the steps turn to rocks you have to carefully climb down.

You feel like you’ve been walking for miles before the steps end and the cave they led to turns to the right. You follow it quickly. The torch does nothing to help you see where you are going so you slow your steps and take the time to be more careful.

Geoff warned you the explosives would be at the bottom of a large drop.

With one hand on the cobblestone wall, you inch your way through the dark. Just as you’re wondering if you may have missed a turn or another passage, your foot slips and you almost go tumbling into a deep cavern. It takes you a second to regain your footing. When you do, you carefully you lean over to look down, making sure you clutch the torch tightly.

There they are. Barrels and barrels of black powder lining the bottom of the cavern. Not just the cavern, you realize. It looks like they go under the passage you just came from.

It takes you by surprise and you lean against the wall for support. You carefully inch your way along the wall, feeling in the dark with your hand until you don’t feel the stone wall anymore. You gingerly stick your foot out and  sigh with relief as you feel the stone floor. You found the passage that leads out. It’s black now, but once you throw your torch, you’re sure it will light up.

“So, this was your plan.”

You jump and turn. King Ryan is standing a few paces behind you, looking down the cavern. He must have doubled back and followed you. You were so focused on your steps, you never realized he was behind you.

“I’m sorry,” you say. “But this has to end. Achievement City was never meant to have a King. It should have always been free.”

"And you think this will restore it?” the Mad King asks.

“I don’t know,” you say truthfully. “You were right. I don’t know what I want. I can’t make up my mind about you. But this I know. This is what I feel is the right thing to do. I don’t know if it will restore things, but I have to believe it will.”

He studies you. “You planned to kill me this entire time,” he says in a low voice. It doesn’t sound dangerous. It sounds almost...heartbroken.

You shake his head. “No, only the first time,” you say. “You’ve asked me twice now if I want to kill you or bed you. It’s the second one. But, it’s not about what I want. It’s about what’s right for the people.”

“And you and I are just collateral,” he says.

You don’t tell him about the escape tunnel. Now that you’ve seen the explosives, you know there’s not much of a chance to escape. Geoff knew it too. “Two lives for freedom,” you say. “It’s a fair trade.”

King Ryan stares you down, carefully inching along the wall until he’s standing with you. “You won’t do this,” he says. “I’ve come to know you better than you think I have. I know you don’t have it in you to do this.”

He’s right in front of you now. Those eyes piercing through the darkness. He does know you. Even now your arm is shaking and you’ve already told yourself several times to let the torch go. But you still haven’t.

You can’t help it. You lower the torch, cursing at yourself.

“See, you won’t do it,” he takes the torch from you and you see a flash of madness in his eyes. You realize what’s going to happen a split second before he does. “But I will.”

Then he throws the torch.

It’s as if time stops. You watch the torch fly into the air, spinning through the darkness as it falls down, down into the dark cavern. You try to catch it, but the King grabs you around the middle and pulls you into the passage directly behind you. For a second there is darkness and then, light. Blinding red, yellow, orange lights dance before your eyes as the explosives catch and a large fireball comes barreling up the cavern walls.

The next thing you know you hear a loud explosion and the world shakes. Rocks begin tumbling from the ceiling and one strikes you in the temple and your world goes black.

\--

It feels like you’re floating.

Your mind is a haze of foggy thoughts and feelings and your body feels like it’s light as a feather. You can’t hear anything say for a high pitched ringing in your ears. You try to move but pain wracks every inch of you and you convulse instead.

You realize that you’re not floating. You’re being carried. Someone is carrying you.

Your lungs feel like they are on fire and you try to breathe in but dust catches in your throat and you begin to cough violently. You try to open your eyes but you see nothing but black and the effort exhausts you.

You feel yourself being jostled a couple of times as the person who is carrying you stumbles. His hands are gripping you tightly.

His hands.

The King.

The Mad King.

No, not King anymore. Ryan. Just Ryan.

You blew up the palace, he’s King of nothing now. No wait, you didn’t blow up the palace. You were supposed to. He did it. He made the choice for you so you wouldn’t have to live with aftermath of it. You try to move again and manage to make a whimpering noise.

“We’re almost out,” he says softly to you, clutching you closer to his chest. You stop struggling against him and go limp in his arms. You feel a rush of fresh air and you don’t have to open your eyes to know that you’ve escaped the passage.

“Of course you survived…” Geoff’s voice reaches your ears and it sounds near but far away at the same time. Your head it throbbing. Oh yeah. You hit your head.

“I was wondering when you were going to return,” Ryan says. “I kept the throne warm for you.” You hear the sound of stone crumbling and you can only imagine the palace collapsing in on itself. You still can’t bring yourself to open your eyes. You try, but the light from Geoff’s torch blinds your sensitive sight and you shut them again.

“I figured you knew about the explosives,” Geoff says. “But, it was the only way.” There is silence for a moment. “Is she-?”

“No, she’s alive,” Ryan says.

You let out a groan of pain as your head throbs again.

“Give her to us, we’ll take care of her,” Mogar’s voice reaches your ears. You hear his sword being unsheathed. “Just put her down and walk away.”

“You sent her to her death,” Ryan snarls, clutching you tighter. “She’s safer with me than she is with any of you.”

“She’s not yours!” Gavin snaps. “You can’t just take her!”

You are finally able to open your eyes long enough to meet Geoff’s. Your hand is resting on your stomach and you manage to meekly reach up and grab Ryan’s cloak. You try to speak, but can’t and are sent into another coughing fit. He sees your action and his determined face falls.

“She is his,” he says softly. “Stand down, Mogar. It’s what she wants.”

“But Geoff!” Mogar exclaims. “We can’t just let this psycho take her!”

“I protected her,” Ryan says angrily. “You sent her to assassinate a king not once, but twice. I’ve protected her more in the past few days than you ever have or will. She’s mine! And you will not have her.”

“Geoff…” Gavin’s voice sounds soft and sad.

“I’m not King anymore,” Geoff says. “I can’t make him do anything.”

“Not that you could before,” Ryan sneers.

“NO! This is bullshit!” Mogar bursts out. You hear him charge, but it sounds like Gavin and Geoff are holding him back as he curses and fights them. Ryan turns away from the three and you feel him begin to carry you away.

You’re finally able to drag your eyes open and you stare up at him, clutching him tightly. “Where-where are we going?” you ask.

“Away,” he says with a sly smile. “Far away.”


	3. Chapter 3

Pain. It’s all you can feel and all you can focus on. 

Pain and Ryan’s face.

The few times you do manage to gain consciousness, his face swims before your blurry vision. His mouth moves, but you can’t hear what he is saying.

His face fades away and then there is darkness again.

The next time you open your eyes it’s the first time in a long time that there is no pain. You find yourself staring at the wood plank ceiling back in your cabin. No wait. It’s not your cabin. Your cabin is made out of oak. The ceiling you’re staring at is lighter...birch? As you become aware of your body and surroundings, you realize you’re laying in a double bed, green sheets tucked around you.

You’re in a bedroom with two small windows. Light is streaming in, but not enough to blind you. Just enough to illuminate the room softly. All you can see out of the windows is the blue sky. The room is large, but aside from the bed and end tables on either side, there is nothing else but a chest in the corner.

You slowly sit up and take a moment to examine yourself. You reach up to push your hair out of your eyes, but your fingers brush against a wool bandage. You carefully unwrap it. The wound on your temple is tender to the touch, but otherwise the cut seems to be on the way to healing. At least, it doesn’t bleed when you touch it. Your legs feel stiff and you try to move them, but find it difficult to.

You push the blanket off and gasp. Your legs are bandaged from your ankles to your thigh. You lift the bandage slightly to find angry, red burns.

Wonderful.

You carefully use your hands to bend and stretch your legs and the feeling slowly begins to return to them. They ache, but the pain is bearable. You wonder how long you’ve been in that bed. What day is it? Where are you?

Your arms for the most part are fine, say for a scrape and burn here and there. When the feeling has mostly returned to your legs, you carefully you ease them over the edge of the bed. They are shaky from not being used and after a step or two you fall to the ground with a crash.

Footsteps sound and bright light suddenly floods into the room as the bedroom door is thrown open. You yell and shield your eyes.

“You’re awake.”

Your eyes take a moment to adjust to the brightness, but when they do, Ryan is standing in front of you. It’s strange to see him dressed in a tunic and pair of trousers. He looks so ordinary. The opposite of what a King should look like.

 _Because he’s not a King anymore,_ a small voice in your head says.

His hair has a slight unkempt looked to it and the stubble that had decorated his cheeks has now grown into a beard. He bends down and gently puts his arms around you. You slide yours around his neck and he easily lifts you off the floor.

“What happened?” you croak. Your throat is dry and you are sent into a coughing fit.

He doesn’t answer you right away. He carefully places you back into bed before turning towards the nightstand. It’s then that you notices the pitcher of water. He pours you a glass, which you gulp down greedily. The cool liquid feels amazing against your sore throat.

“You don’t remember?” he asks.

You shake your head and hand him the empty glass. He places it on the table before sitting on the edge of the bed. “I remember the explosion,” you say. “But everything after that is a blur.”

“You were hurt,” he says.

You look down at your bandaged and burned body. “I can see that,” you say. “How bad?”

“Your head was the worst,” he says, his fingers reaching out to gently examine the wound on your temple. You wince as he does, but don’t pull away. “The burns weren’t as severe. A few salves and potions will heal them well enough. It was touch and go there for a few. You inhaled a lot of smoke and ash from the explosion and were having trouble breathing.”

That would explain why your chest hurt every time you tried to take a deep breath. You begin coughing again and Ryan pours you another glass of water. This time you notice the water has a bit of an after taste and when you look at him questioningly he says, “Just a simple healing potion. It works faster if you mix it with water.”

You do admit you feel a lot better as you hand him the empty glass.

A thought suddenly occurs to you and you frown. “Wait, did you...take care of me?” you ask. “I mean, have you been taking care of me this entire time?”

He gives you a small smile. “Someone had to,” he says. “It’s just the two of us.”

Just the two of you?

You vaguely recall the encounter with Geoff and him allowing Ryan to carry you away. When you strain your ears to listen, you realize you don’t hear anyone else in the house. No footsteps, no voices. All you hear is a whooshing noise that sounds like water.

Water? There is no large bodies of water near Achievement City.

“Are we near the ocean?” you ask.

He nods and stands. “Would you like to see?”

You have never seen the ocean before. Most of your life was spent in the forest. It’s where you felt most comfortable. You nod excitedly and he slides his arms around you again to help you out of bed. You are a little more steady on your feet this time. With his arm around your waist and yours around his shoulders, he helps you cross the room.

You realize the house you’re in is just the two rooms. The bedroom Ryan leads you from and the main room where he must have been sitting. It’s large and open, with windows along almost every wall which gives you a wonderful view of the beautiful blue water. He leads you through the room and to the front door.

The fresh ocean air feels wonderful against your warm face and the spray from the sea makes your shiver slightly. The cabin is on risers and situated several feet away from the edge of the water. There is a wrap around porch with a half finished railing. Wooden poles and sticks are piled next to the door along with several tools, which leads you to believe Ryan has been working on the cabin while you recovered. The thought that he is doing anything on his own without the help of servants surprises you.

“What is this place?” you ask as Ryan helps you sit on the edge of the porch where the railing isn’t finished yet. You let your legs dangle over the side as he sits down next to you.

“We built this ages ago before we moved into the forest to build Achievement City,” Ryan says. “It’s been abandoned for years. I don’t think Geoff even remembers it. We have a bunch of these cabins spread out throughout the world. This one was always my favorite.”

You nod and stare out at the ocean. The white sand looks warm and you want to run out and bury your toes into it. Maybe when you’ve healed a little more. “Why did you bring me here?”

“You were hurt and we needed a place to go,” Ryan says. “I told you I would take you far away. Believe me, this is pretty far.”

“I take it my cabin was out of the question,” you say.

“For our safety, yes,” he says. “I did bring you there initially to gather some supplies. But we didn’t linger for more than a few hours.”

Your head is spinning with many questions. “But why did you save me?” you ask. “You could have just left me and moved on without me.”

“Why would I have done that?” Ryan asks.

“Because I tried to kill you, twice,” you say.

“Technically three times,” Ryan corrects.

“Even more of a reason for you to just let me die,” you say.

He gives you a curious look. “Did you want me to let you die?”

“Well...no,” you admit. If he had a chance to save you, you’re glad he took it. It surprises you however and you’re still trying to make sense of the situation. “So you saved me because you knew I would want you to?”

“No,” he says. “I saved you because I wanted to save you.”

His admission does nothing to help your confusion. “But why?”

He smirks at you. “So full of questions,” he says. He suddenly grabs your chin and presses his mouth against yours in a rough yet tender kiss. You are so stunned, you don’t move for a moment, before you let your eyes close and kiss him back. When he pulls away, you’re slightly breathless. “You’re mine, remember?”

You have no response. You open your mouth, but no words come out. He sees that you are stunned, but does not comment on it. His hand drops from your chin and he turns back to look out at the water. You both sit in silence for a few moments.

“Do you want to leave?” he asks quietly.

You take a moment to examine him. He looks tired, but calm. Calmer than you’ve ever seen him before. You wonder what he’s going through. What he’s feeling. He was a King and now...now he’s just like everyone else. No power. No responsibility. You and he are on equal ground. You both are just trying to survive.

You reflect on his question. Do you want to leave? You are completely free to go back to the remains of Achievement City. Back to your friends. But is that what you really want? Or do you want to stay with him?

Something you struggled with back in Achievement City suddenly doesn’t seem so complicated anymore.

“No.”   

You see his shoulders relax and you realize he was preparing himself for you to leave him. To go back to your old life as soon as you recovered. But that’s not possible anymore. Because as much as you are his, he is yours. You cannot leave him alone. “Good,” he says.

You fall into silence again and the ocean breeze makes you shiver. Ryan shifts closer to you and pulls you to his side, running his hand up and down your arm to try and warm you.

It’s such a tender, affectionate gesture that you are once again taken by surprise. Who is this man sitting next to you? It’s hard to imagine he was once feared. It’s hard to imagine him as the Mad King. You wish you can capture this moment. Just the two of you, sitting on the porch of your new home, staring out at the ocean. You know it won’t last.

“You should get back into bed.”

He is right. You are weary and don’t argue with him as he lifts you up. You bury your face into his chest as he carries you back into the house. He smells of firewood and the ocean and home. By the time he carries you into the bedroom, your eyes are drooping. He places you gently on the bed and tucks the blanket around you with care. As he turns to leave, you reach out to take his hand. “Stay,” you say. “Please.”

You can’t read his expression and when he doesn’t move, you’re sure he’s going to walk away. Instead he climbs into bed with you and you move into his arms. He freezes for a moment before relaxing and hugging you closer. You fall asleep, buried into his chest, listening to the sound of the ocean waves.

\--

You awaken hours later to his arms wrapped tightly around you.

It’s a strange, yet pleasant feeling. Each time you’ve shared a bed with him up until this point he has been gone when you’ve awaken. Well, except for the first time when you were going to poison him. In hindsight that was probably why he never stuck around after.

The sun has gone down and moonlight now floods in through the windows, casting the room in an eerie white glow. You smile to yourself as you listen to the ocean. No monsters. No rustling. No hissing. Just the waves rolling onto the the shore. Your legs and arms are stiff from being curled into a ball. You make a move to pull away so you can stretch your sore limbs but Ryan holds you tighter.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he sleepily mumbles into your hair.

“Just stretching,” you assure him, untangling from his grasp.

The night is warm and you kick the blanket off of you as you throw your arms above your head and allow yourself a long, luxurious stretch. You hear several joints creak and crack before you collapse boneless against the mattress. The stretch has caused your oversized shirt to ride up to reveal your thighs and torso. You wonder where the shirt came from and realize it must have been his at some point. You would imagine the dress you had worn that night had been destroyed.

Ryan’s eyes are on you and you catch him gazing at your exposed flesh, that hungry look in his eyes. A wave of desire washes over you as his hand reaches out and traces a line across your stomach.

“How is the pain?” he asks softly, his palm burning against your skin as he slides his hand up and under your shirt.

You bite your lip briefly. “Bearable,” you say, wanting him to continue.

His hand gently cups your breast. “Bearable?” he asks.

“Manageable,” you respond. Your hand finds his and you press it against your flesh, causing him to squeeze you softly. You let out a quiet sigh.

“I see,” he says, his voice low and has taken on that commanding tone you’re used to. He moves to straddle your waist and suddenly he’s pushing the shirt up to your neck before swooping down to take your nipple into his mouth.

The action causes you to gasp before you let out a low moan.

“Make all the noise you want, Huntress,” Ryan purrs. “There’s no one around to hear us.” His tongue swirls around your nipple before he takes it into his mouth again and teases it between his teeth. For some reason, just the thought of you being as loud as you’d like makes you wet. When you were in the castle with him, you didn’t really give it much thought as to how loud you were being. Same with your cabin. But here. Here it’s just the two of you…it doesn’t matter how loud you are.

Your back arches and you moan loudly. You feel him smile around the small nub.

“Yes…” he practically hisses. His mouth travels to your other breast while his hands slide down your sides to your hips. They are gentle when they brush against your bandages as he pushes your legs open. “You are ready for me, aren’t you?”

You whimper as you nod, your hands fisting the sheets of the bed as his mouth travels lower. When his curious tongue swipes across your moist flesh you cry out. You know he’s smirking even though your eyes are closed.

His tongue laps at you hungrily, his hands holding your legs open as you begin to move along with his mouth. You’re not used to his mouth being so gentle. His lips glide across your sex smoothly and when his tongue dives in to taste all of you, his hands slide under your backside to grip you tightly. Your thighs immediately clamp around him and it makes him chuckle.

His beard rubs against your thighs but you don’t find the sensation the least bit unpleasant. Not when his mouth is on your quivering mound and his tongue is doing amazing things. You’re moaning and thrashing against the bed now and your hands move to grip his hair. You want more. You need more.

“Please…” you beg. “More, King Ryan. Please.”

He immediately stops.

You whine and tug on his hair, trying to make him continue. When he doesn’t, you drag your eyes open. “W-Why did you stop?”

He looks up at you, his blue eyes sparkling with something you can’t quite place. “What did you call me?” he asks in a low, dangerous voice.

It takes a second for your brain to catch up. You realize your mistake and your stomach twists into a knot. You curse at yourself. The last thing you want to do in your current situation is make him angry.  “I’m sorry,” you say. “It…it just slipped out. I didn’t…”

“Say it again,” Ryan demands. He suddenly slides two fingers into you and you gasp in surprise and arousal. When you don’t say anything, he crooks his fingers. You cry out. “ _Say it again._ ”

Your mouth has gone dry and your tongue swipes your bottom lip before you moan, “King Ryan.”

A grin like none you’ve ever seen before spreads across his face and he withdraws his fingers. You moan with disappointment until you notice him pushing his pants down. You sit up to take off your oversized shirt and then he’s on you again, fully naked with his hard cock pulsing. He pushes you onto your back again and his mouth is on your neck, biting and sucking on the flesh like a frenzied animal.

His cock surges into you roughly and this time you both cry out.

You can’t wrap your legs around him, but you clutch him to you desperately as his hips move wildly. He’s taking you hard and fast, his fingers digging into your hips. You feel his short nails pierce your skin but you don’t care. Your own nails are buried in his shoulder blades as your hips move up to meet his.

“Call me it again,” he growls into your ear.

“King Ryan,” you moan. His cock brushes that spot and you’re seeing stars now. Your orgasm is building at an alarming rate.

“That’s right,” he pants before his mouth moves up to attack yours in a harsh, painful kiss. “I’m the King. And you’re mine. _All mine_.”

You’re so close. You arch into him just as his cock hits that spot one more time. Then you’re crashing under a sea of pleasure, moaning and crying out, “My King!” as your nails scratch down his back, leaving long, angry, red trails.

He groans as well and then he’s coming, spilling himself into you while he bites down on your shoulder. He doesn’t stop moving until his body is shaking. He collapses on top of you, burying his face into your neck. As you lay there, trying to catch your breath, you feel a wetness trickling down your neck and onto your shoulder. It confuses you for a second before you realize he’s crying.

This shocks you. You swallow thickly before sliding one hand up his back and into his hair, hugging him to you comfortingly. He keeps his face buried in your neck, squeezing you tightly in an almost painful hug. Neither of you say anything as the tears continue to fall. He doesn’t make any attempt to pull away and his body eventually stops shaking. What you mistook for exhausted muscles were actually sobs.

“Don’t leave me.” It’s so soft you barely hear it. Part of you knows you most likely weren’t supposed to.

“I won’t,” you whisper back. “I’m yours, remember?”

He pulls back slightly to look at you. You gently wipe away a stray tear that has made it’s way down his cheek. His eyes are wide and it’s almost like he’s seeing you for the first time. The look does not last however. His eyes harden once more and his mouth draws into a tight line. “I’m not a King anymore,” he says stiffly. “Try to remember that.”

 _No,_ you think. _Don’t do this._

He pulls away from you, but your hand is still in his hair and you pull his head down so he’s looking you in the eye again. “You’re _my_ King,” you tell him.

At first he doesn’t react. His eyes scan your face and you’re not sure what he’s searching for. Eventually his body relaxes against yours and he leans down, kissing you tenderly. You kiss him back, clinging to him tightly. When you pull away, a smirk is on his face. He rests his forehead against yours.

“If I’m your King,” he says quietly. “Then you are my Queen.”

You feel your cheeks immediately burn and if the room wasn’t so dim you know he would be able to see how red your face is.

He rolls over and takes you with him. You find yourself sprawled across his chest and you trace several patterns absentmindedly, your fingernails dragging through the small amount of hair there.

“I must confess, I don’t know what we do now,” he says.

“We heal,” you say, lifting your head slightly to look up at him. “We heal, and we grow stronger. Together.”

“And after that?”

After that? You have no idea what to do after that. Just surviving isn’t good enough for you anymore. You want something else. You want to build a life with him. You have no idea what kind of life that would be. Can you even have a life together? Does he even want a life with you? Or does he want you to stay with him so that he is not alone? 

“What do you want?” you ask.

He’s silent for a few moments as he stares at you, and you wonder what’s going through his head. His eyes are scanning your face again. You’re still not sure what he’s hoping to find. “What do I want?” he repeats, pulling you closer and placing several soft kisses along your jaw. “What I want is to get our kingdom back.”

Your brow furrows with confusion. A million questions run through your head but only one comes out. “Our?” 

He raises his eyebrow and gives you that look. The look that lights a fire in your belly and sends tingles down your spine. “The Mad King needs his Queen,” he growls, before his lips seek yours.  


	4. Chapter 4

You fall into a routine much quicker than you anticipate.

Once Ryan removes the bandages on your legs, it’s easier for you to move around and help. The burns heal fairly quickly and aside from a scar here and there, you can’t tell you were ever hurt. The cut on your head heals as well and your hair grows over the scar so it’s not noticeable.

Everyday you both work to repair the cabin. It was in good shape when Ryan brought you there, but there are areas that could use maintenance.

Food wise you mostly eat fish and crab from the sea, until your strength returns and you feel better enough to hunt. Several yards from the beach a clump of trees leads you to a forest and every morning as the sun rises you venture in, searching for game.

At first there isn’t much, but after trying again later in the day, you return home triumphantly dragging a dead boar behind you. It feels good to hunt again. You love the beach, but the forest is where you feel the most comfortable. It makes you feel stronger knowing you can still hunt after being injured so badly.

Ryan is adjusting.

You know some days are harder for him than others. Some days he’ll smile and joke with you as you both work on finishing the porch railing, or fixing the holes in the roof. Other days he’ll snap and refuse to do anything, deciding to sit in front of the ocean waves and sulk. Occasionally he does neither and falls into a brooding silence as he works.

None of this matters at night.

At night, when the sun has gone down and you’re both safely in bed, it doesn’t matter what mood he’s in. He’ll take you.

Sometimes it’s rough and commanding like that first night, but mostly…mostly it’s gentle and tender and takes your breath away. It doesn’t matter what your mood is. You let him take you. You welcome his calloused hands and eager mouth because you know it’s what he needs from you. You may not know how to help him with what he’s lost, but you do know you can show him what he has.

You get a thrill every time he whispers, “My Queen.” into your ear.

Currently you are sitting on the edge of the cabin porch, taking a rest while Ryan finishes installing the new door you both worked together to craft. He is shirtless, and his muscled frame has become brown from working so much in the sun.

You admire it shamelessly.

“How is this?” he asks as he finally fastens the door hinges.

“Perfect…” you say, tilting your head slightly.

“Are you sure?” he asks, not really paying attention to you. “If this isn’t installed correctly it won’t do much good.”

“It looks amazing,” you tell him, your eyes tracking his movements as he bends down to check the bottom hinge.

“It’s a wooden door,” he says. “I wouldn’t say amazing. Better than what was here…” He turns to look at you and that’s when he realizes you’re not quite paying attention to the door. He raises his eyebrow at you. “Something I can help you with, Huntress?”

You give him a coy smile and bat your eyelashes playfully. “I’m just fine,” you say cheekily.

When he’s in a good mood like this it’s easy to joke with him. The good moods are getting more frequent, but are still far in between. You take advantage of it while you can.

He smirks at you and reaches down to grab your hand and pull you to your feet. His mouth is sweet against yours and you can’t help but smile into the kiss. When he pulls away he nuzzles your cheek slightly. “Even after last night you can’t get enough of your King, hmmm?” His hands slide down to grab your waist before he pulls you against his chest.

You chuckle. “I’m not the only insatiable one,” you tell him, your fingers tracing patterns on his bare torso. “Besides, I was just admiring.”

“Oh sure,” he says with a laugh. He suddenly lifts you onto the railing and you let out an undignified squeak. “I can take you right here you know. Right out in the open…”

“Tempting,” you say as the railing digs painfully into your backside. “Or, we can go inside and use a bed like civilized people.”

“You started this, darling,” he says, reaching for the hem of your shirt. “I’m just finishing it.”

You see movement out of the corner of your eye and glance over at the place where the woods meets the beach. Someone is standing there watching you.

“Ryan,” you say warningly as he begins to pull your shirt up. You hastily try to push his hands away so you can get down from the railing. The person begins to walk towards you. You can’t tell who it is since they are so far away, but your first instinct is that it’s Geoff or Mogar.

“Don’t ‘Ryan’ me,” he growls into your ear, his hands sliding under your shirt. “I’m going to fuck you right here…”

“Ryan!” you grab his chin and turn his face so he’s looking at the woods. His eyes narrow in suspicion as he sees the stranger heading towards you. He pulls you off the railing.

“Get inside,” he orders.

“No!” you snap.

Ryan grabs your wrist and pulls you into the cabin. Once inside he hurriedly pulls a shirt on before he moves to a chest underneath one of the windows and draws out his diamond sword. “Stay here,” he barks, before stalking back outside and slamming the door behind him. You dig through the chest and pull out a dagger. You slide the sheath into the back of the waistband of your pants, before adjusting your shirt to cover it.

When you go back outside, Ryan is standing on the porch eyeing the newcomer, his sword clutched tightly and at the ready.

“I told you to stay inside,” he spits as you.

“I can handle myself,” you snap back. “And since when have you ever been able to tell me what to do?”

He growls with frustration and mutters something that sounds like, “Stubborn woman.”

You take a moment to examine the stranger who is coming closer. Now that you can see his face, you realize you don’t recognize him. You also start to notice the state of his clothing and how gaunt his face is.

“Ryan…” you say, placing your hand on his sword hand and making him lower the weapon. “I don’t think he’s here to hurt us.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he snarls to you. “He knows where we are. He can give away our location.”

“How about you actually see what he wants before you decide to chop his head off?” you ask angrily, yanking his sword away. He doesn’t let go of the weapon and instead turns to glare at you.

“Let go of my sword, Huntress,” he demands in a warning tone.

“Not until you agree to not slaughter him for no damn reason,” you say in the same tone. “Let me see what he wants.” You make a move to go down the porch steps but his hand grabs your upper arm.

He glances between you and the man who is almost to the cabin. “I don’t trust him,” he says in a low voice.

You lift the back of your shirt slightly so he can see your dagger. “Neither do I,” you tell him. He smirks at you and his eyes sparkle with the look he usually reserves for the bedroom. His fingers loosen their grip on your arm and he lets you pull away to walk down the steps. After a few seconds, he follows behind you.

The stranger is a middle-aged man with bags under his eyes and greying hair. As you draw closer he drops to his knees and you fight the urge to rush to him. You don’t know if it’s a trap.

“Are you alright, sir?” you ask as you get closer.

“Thank god!” he croaks, clasping his hands together. “I’ve been traveling for days and haven’t seen a single person. I saw the smoke from your cabin this morning and have been trying to get to you. Please, I need your help.”

“Who are you?” Ryan asks as he comes up next to you.

The man turns his gaze on him and a flash of fear crosses his face as he sees the sword. But you don’t see recognition there. It seems you are far enough away from Achievement City to not be recognized on the spot. At least not by this man.

“I’m from a village north of here,” he says, gesturing to the woods as he struggles to get to his feet. “Our home…it’s been overrun by monsters. Usually we get one or two a week, but lately…” He shudders as he lets his voice trail off.

“Do you know who I am?” Ryan demands coldly. He’s close enough now where you can put a hand on his chest to calm him.

The man looks at Ryan fearfully and sputters. “N-N-No…” he says. “I…I just am looking for help. Please.”

“What my…husband is asking,” you say, ignoring how Ryan stiffens at your words. “Have we met before? We did not see a village on our travels.” 

The man’s eyes shift between the both of you. “N-No, ma’am,” he says. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

You feel Ryan relax under your hand. “I apologize for my husband’s behavior,” you say. The word comes easier to you this time. “I’m sorry for the suspicion. We are alone out here and prefer it that way. I’m not sure what help you think we can offer.”

“Any,” he pleads. “The monsters have ruined our crops and our homes are not going to stand up to them much longer. We’re starving and soon…” He is shaking now.

You look at Ryan and his gaze meets yours. You have your bow still and with his sword, you both can make quick work of those monsters in no time. He doesn’t look convinced however.

“Do you mind if we discuss this in private for a moment?” you ask the man kindly.

“Please, please whatever you need,” he says.

“Are you hungry?” you ask, moving to the man’s side to put your arm around him. “You must be thirsty at least. Why don’t you come onto the porch and we’ll fix you something.”

You see tears run down the man’s face as he takes your hand in his boney one and shakes it. “Thank you, bless you,” he says as you begin to lead him to the house.

Ryan follows behind you and you know he’s watching closely, looking for any signs of a concealed weapon or attack. None comes and you lead the man to one of the chairs you built. He collapses tiredly and Ryan follows you into the house. When he closes the door behind him, he turns to you. “Husband?”

You smile ruefully as you pour a large glass of water for the villager. You pull a wooden bowl out of the cupboard and load it with some fruit and fried fish leftover from your breakfast. “Would you rather I have said ‘my lover and former King’?” you ask as you take the bowl and the glass to the door. He opens it for you and watches carefully as you hand the items to the starving man. He accepts is graciously before Ryan pulls you back into the house.

“You want to help them, don’t you?” he says once the door is shut once more.

You shrug. “I don’t see why we shouldn’t,” you say.

“It’s none of our business,” Ryan tells you. “The monsters stay clear of the beach which is why I settled us here. I have no desire to venture back into those woods.”

“How can you expect to be King if you won’t help those who need you?” you ask, crossing your arms.

“I know how to be a King!” he snarls at you.

“Do you?” you challenge. “How did that work out for you before?” He glares angrily, but does not respond. “You want to get our kingdom back, then we need followers. And kindness goes a lot further than fear.”

Ryan snorts at you. “I find fear to be quite effective,” he says.

“Oh I know you do,” you say. “But there is no throne to take this time. There’s no power you can just seize and claim as yours. This time you have to earn the throne, even if you have to build it yourself.”

He stares at you curiously. “So you suggest I make nice with the villagers so they’ll make me their King?” he asks. “Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”

“One village is not going to make a kingdom,” you admit. “But it’s a start.”

You can see the doubt all over his face and you step closer to him, sliding your arms around his neck. “You tell me that I’m your Queen,” you say softly. “Then listen to me. Trust me.”

He sighs heavily and leans his sword against the wall. “You know the Queen’s duty is to stand quietly by the King’s side no matter his decision,” he tells you with a smirk, his arms coming around your waist.

“Oh, love,” you say, smirking back. “I’m not that kind of Queen.”

“No you’re not,” he agrees before crushing his lips against yours in a bruising kiss.

You kiss him back just as fiercely, your hands slipping down to clutch the front of his shirt. When you pull away, you give him a pointed look and he rolls his eyes and sighs. “Fine,” he says. “We’ll help the peasants.”

“Thank you,” you say with a smile, releasing his shirt and smoothing out the wrinkles you had caused. “And for the future, you probably should refrain from calling them peasants.”

You don’t wait for him to answer before you’re opening the cabin door. The villager has already consumed the food you presented him with and he focuses his tired eyes on you. Ryan slips out of the cabin behind you and you discreetly elbow him in the ribs. He gives you an annoyed look but you nod your head slightly in the direction of the man.

He should be the one to tell him the decision.

Thankfully, Ryan understands your message.

“We’ll help your village,” he says, his voice taking that commanding tone that sends shivers down your spine. “It would be our honor.”

The man’s face splits into a large smile. “Oh thank you!” he exclaims, standing and taking Ryan’s hands in his own. “Thank you so much! Our village will be so grateful!” He shakes Ryan’s hand as he speaks.

You can tell Ryan is uncomfortable being touched by this man so you lay a gentle hand on his upper arm. He gives you a brief glance and untangles his hand from the man’s grasp only to lay it across yours. “I am sorry for my attitude earlier,” he says, his eyes suddenly hooded and sad. “My wife recently suffered severe injuries and I fear for her safety. I was only thinking of protecting her.”

You try not to react with surprise at his words. The man immediately gives you both a sympathetic smile. “I am sorry to hear that,” he says. “And considering the circumstances, I am even more appreciative for your help. Truly.”

“What is your name?” you ask.

“Flynt,” he says. “Where are my manners? It’s great to meet you…” He looks at both of you, waiting for you to introduce yourselves.

“I’m Ryan and this,” Ryan pulls you into an embrace. “is my lovely, huntress. Once we help you rid your village of the monsters, my wife will help you gather food. She’s great with a bow.”

Okay, you deserve that.

Flynt looks like he’s going to cry again. “I must get back to the village and tell them the good news!” he exclaims. “I should be able to make it before dark. When will you come?”

“Tomorrow,” Ryan tells him. “Do you think you will be able to last through the night?”

Flynt looks doubtful.

“Do you have one large building you can all gather in?” you ask. “Like a shop or forge?”

“We have a gathering hall,” Flynt says.

“When you get back to the village, gather everyone in the hall and focus on barricading that one place instead of individual homes,” Ryan tells him. “The monsters will only attack where people are. If you are all in one place, you’re more likely to be able to defend yourselves and spare your homes.”

Flynt nods and shakes your hand again, as Ryan’s is now out of reach.

“Thank you both! The village is north of here, several hours walk at the most. You’ll know you’re close when you see a cave. It’ll be just a few feet from there.”

He thanks you several more times before he leaves the porch and heads back to the forest. You notice he is moving much faster than he was when he arrived.

When he’s out of earshot, you turn to Ryan. “Nice touch,” you say.

“Sympathy also works, from time to time,” Ryan says.

“If I have to help them hunt,” you say. “You have to help them fix their homes.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Ryan tells you, turning to go back into the cabin. You follow behind him. “So what is your plan after this? We help them, and they are so grateful they make me the ruler of their broken down village?”

You roll your eyes at him. “There are hundreds of villages just like theirs through the world,” you tell him. “Once it spreads that we’ve helped them, more people are going to come seek our help. The more people we help, the more respect we gain from them. The more respect we gain, the more power we have.”

Ryan’s giving you a strange look.

“What?” you ask.

“I am going to be King again,” he says in a low voice. “The way you’re speaking, it’s as if you think we’re both going to rule the kingdom.”

“You were the one who called it ‘our’ kingdom,” you point out. “If you’re set on doing this, on rebuilding, we can’t build it the way it was before. It didn’t work that way. You build this new kingdom with my help, or you build it alone.”

“You told me you weren’t going to leave me,” he exclaims, his eyes hardening as he rounds on you. “You’ve said time and time again that you are mine!”

“And yet you haven’t told me that you’re mine,” you snap, your anger and annoyance getting the better of you. “Am I just here so you won’t be alone? Or do you actually want me to rule beside you? You used to ask me if I wanted to bed you or kill you, and I told you my choice. I’ve proven my choice. Now you decide. Do you want me to rule beside you? Or am I just here so you’re not lonely? Because I can tell you right now, I’m not just going to sit quietly on the sidelines. My friends used me. King Geoff used me. You used me to warm your bed. I’m done being used.” You clench your hands into fists to keep them from shaking.

“You won’t leave me,” Ryan sneers. “You’ve had plenty of opportunities to leave me and you haven’t.”

“I was going to leave after that first time,” you confess. It’s true, you were. Before he showed up to your cabin you were going to pack your things and run. His eyes widen in surprise.

“You’re lying,” he accuses.

“I think you know that I’m not,” you tell him.

You both fall into silence. The air is thick with tension and you keep your eyes locked on his. You’re not backing down. If you both continue on this path, it’s going to be as equals.

He reaches for you and you know he’s going to kiss you. But before he can you put both hands on his chest and push him back. “No!” you snap. “Answer my question! Am I going to rule beside you, or should I leave right now and spare myself the pain?”

He tries to grab you again but you will not relent. Not this time. This time you push him so hard he stumbles and breaks contact with you. “I’m not falling for it this time!” you say angrily. “All the sweet words and kind touches at night can only go so far. You have a choice to make, right here and now because I’m not some weakling you can bed and manipulate whenever you feel like!”

“You were never that to me!” he snaps back.

“Oh please!” you scoff. “You admitted you were only attracted to my defiance. I know me wielding to you gives you some sick, twisted satisfaction.”

He doesn’t respond. Instead he runs a hand through his hair and looks at you out of the corner of his eye. “Maybe at first,” he eventually says. He doesn’t continue and you remain silent. You cross your arms across your chest as you stare back him, refusing to break his gaze. After a few moments he lets out a small sigh and absentmindedly scratches at his beard. “It would be easier…if you were in this with me.”

You raise your eyebrow at him.

He extends his hand to you, but doesn’t say anything further.

You don’t move to take his hand. Instead you continue to study him, looking for any signs that he’s telling the truth. Minutes pass and you remain still and silent the entire time. His shoulders slump when you don’t react and his eyebrows draw together worriedly. The smooth mask of indifference suddenly begins to fall.

You still don’t move.

“Please…” he says softly, his arm dropping as he steps closer to you. “Rule with me?”

“It’s your turn to say it,” you tell him.

He looks confused. “Say what?” he asks.

“That you’re mine,” you say.

He makes an impatient noise at you, eyes rolling as he shifts uncomfortably.

“Why do you demand it from me, but scoff when I demand it of you?” you ask through narrowed eyes. You step up to him and slide your arms around his waist, very much like he does to you. You plant a soft kiss on his lips and you feel him melt into you as you do. “We both know it’s true. Just say it.”

He sighs and raises his eyebrow at you before saying, “I’m yours.”

“Good man,” you smirk.

You finally allow him to kiss you. This time you’re the demanding one, you’re the one pulling him close and moving your hands under his shirt. He doesn’t yield easily. His mouth matches your movements as his tongue dances with yours in a fight for dominance. You push him backwards until you’re both in the bedroom.

You break the kiss to shove him onto the bed and straddle his waist. You yank his shirt up and over his head, tossing it carelessly to the side. He sits up to try to flip you on your back. You don’t let him this time. You pin his shoulders firmly to the bed. His eyes stare at you wide with surprise and you smirk back.

“Not this time,” you tell him, grasping your own shirt by the hem and pulling it over your head.

Before he can say anything, your mouth is on his again, your hands moving down his chest to grasp the top of his trousers. You push them down impatiently and suppress a chuckle as he lifts his hips to assist you. His erection is free and throbbing between your bodies. Apparently he’s quite enjoying the role reversal. You’re happy to oblige.

Soon you’re both naked and you reach down to grasp him firmly. He moans at the contact, arching into your touch eagerly. Your hand is fast and thorough as you begin to stroke him, your mouth still claiming his. His tongue has yielded to yours finally and you take the opportunity to explore his mouth hungrily.

You lift your hips and guide him to your entrance, taking him in slowly.

You bite back a moan, preferring to listen to his gasps and pants as you begin to move. Having this control over him, being the one to make him twitch and buck against you is amazing. He tries to take back the control. His hands move to your hips and he tries to set the pace but you pry his hands away and pin them to the bed, keeping the pace you want.

His eyes are drawn to yours and are wide with surprise. He seems entranced as he watches you move above him, your hands still clutching his wrists to keep him from moving. You begin to move a little faster, grinding down against him every time you take him back in.

Sweat is beginning to form on both of your bodies and you let go of his wrists so you can slide one hand into his hair. You grip it tightly as you pull his head back to expose his smooth neck, which you drag your teeth across before sucking on a that sweet spot that makes him moan louder. His hands grip your thighs tightly, but he doesn’t try to take control.

He finally gets it.

He’s panting and his cheeks are turning red. You nibble along his jaw as you grind against him, your release coming quickly. His hips are meeting yours and you know he’s getting close as well. His eyes drag open and meet yours. You smirk down at him before crushing your lips against his, stifling his moan as he comes, clutching you tightly. You follow behind him, biting his bottom lip briefly as you ride out your orgasm.

You both try to catch your breath and your hand releases his hair as you move to lay next to him. Neither of you speak as you stare up at the ceiling. Slowly you feel his hand take yours and you give it a reassuring squeeze.

\--

The next day you set off for the village in the early morning. You have your quiver strapped to your back and your bow in hand. You also make sure to grab your dagger just in case. You have a thought to bring some food and supplies but Ryan stops you. He still does not trust Flynt and does not want to waste your rations on something that you may not be able to save. You see his point and only pack rations for the two of you. Ryan makes sure the cabin is locked and secured before you leave. The last thing you want is to come home to unwanted guests.

It feels good to be back in the woods.

You feel at home as you move through the trees and bushes. Ryan is right beside you. He looks uncomfortable and his hand is clutching the hilt of his sword. His eyes are constantly scanning the area looking for any signs of danger. You don’t blame him. You have no idea what he must have come across in his quest to bring you to this place. You make a mental note to ask him. You were unconscious the entire way and remember none of it.

After walking for quite some time, you have not stumbled across the village or any monsters yet. “We should be getting there soon,” you say, trying to catch a glimpse of the sun through the treetops. It’s difficult however so you turn your attention to Ryan. “What’s your plan?”

“We assess the village first,” he says, his eyes still scanning the area. “See how bad the damage is, how many people there are. If there are fewer than twenty I don’t see the point of saving it. We help them pack up and leave. If there are more villagers than we think, we can take out the monsters, but if we don’t find where they are coming from they will keep attacking.”

“Both good points,” you say. “It will not be easy to convince an entire village to leave their homes.”

“I’ve done it before, I have no trouble doing it again,” Ryan tells you.

“I’m sure you don’t,” you say. “You’re incredibly charming and persuasive. As well as ruthless and dangerous.”

“Flatterer,” Ryan says, giving you a smirk.

You smile back and turn your focus back to the forest. It’s another hour or so before you come across any distinct landmarks. Through the foliage you see the top of a rock formation in the distance. As you get closer, you realize it’s not a simple rock, but a cave. The entrance is a large black hole surrounded by moss and hanging vines.

You remember Flynt mentioning the landmark and you motion to it. “Do you think this is the cave he spoke about?” you ask.

“It must be,” Ryan says, drawing his sword. “We’ve been walking for hours and it’s the first one we’ve seen.”

You both stop in front of the entrance, staring into the eerie darkness. Your skin crawls and goosebumps decorate your arms. “I don’t like this,” you mumble, unconsciously taking a steps back. “Do you think this is where the monsters are coming from?”

“Possibly,” Ryan says. He takes your hand and pulls you away. “We’ll explore it later. Come on.”

The prospect of revisiting the dark cavern does not excite you. Ryan leads you away and you continue moving forward. “Don’t forget we are a loving husband and wife,” you remind him as the trees begin to thin

“How could I forget?” he says dryly. “You all but demanded to rule beside me. We might as well be married already.”

“‘All but’?” you echo. “I did demand. And you agreed. No take backs.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he smirks. “Wouldn’t want you to poison me while I sleep.”

You shoot him a playful glare. “I have no idea where you get such silly notions, my dear husband,” you say, sliding your arm around his waist.

“I wonder.”

All joking stops however when you finally enter the village.

It’s a dismal, gloomy, broken down collection of buildings that is on its last leg. Many of the houses look abandoned and those that aren’t are in serious need of repair. Creeper craters are sprinkled throughout the streets and you and Ryan have to step carefully to avoid them. The gravel road is uneven and there is no sign of life for a few minutes.

It doesn’t take you long to spot the gathering hall. Several men and women are outside trying to repair the most recent damage it seems. They all look pale and sickly, with thin arms and gaunt faces. Their hands are shaking as they replace windows and cover holes with wooden planks. You barely see any children.

As soon as they see you the villagers drop their work and rush you, all talking at once. You and Ryan are taken aback by the attention and it takes you a few moments to actually get more than just one word in.

“Where’s Flynt?” Ryan manages to ask, his booming voice silencing the villagers.

As if on cue, Flynt emerges from behind the building and you can immediately tell something is not right. While he was terrified when you first met him, this is a different kind of fear. This fear is born from nerves. He looks twitchy and can’t seem to stand still. “You’re here!” he exclaims, but instead of looking relieved, his eyes shift quickly between the two of you.

You can see Ryan notice his demeanor almost instantly. You see his fingers twitch as he restrains himself from reaching for his sword. You wrap your arm around his, giving his upper arm a reassuring squeeze.

“Yes, we are,” you say. “What news from last night? How did you fare?”

“Gathering in the hall was a smart idea,” Flynt says, motioning to the building as the villagers resume their work. You feel as if their faces change a little. They seem more hopeful. More determined. They are working quicker than when you arrived. “We’ve already starting reinforcing the doors and windows for tonight. I think everyone felt a bit safer to be all together.”

“My husband had the brilliant idea of tracking where the monsters are coming from,” you say. “We have plenty of time before dark and if we leave now we can try to prevent them from coming tonight.”

“Don’t you want to stay and help us prepare?” Flynt asks quickly. “If you fail in finding the monsters, we may not be ready for tonight’s attack.”

“Then we won’t fail,” Ryan says. “What do you know about that cave outside of the village?”

Flynt’s eyes are shifty again. “Not much,” he says. “We stay clear of it as best we can.”

“Is something wrong, Flynt?” Ryan asks. He’s using the low, dangerous voice. The one that makes people quiver. It’s so low only you and Flynt can hear. It seems to do the trick because Flynt is shaking now.

“No, nothing!” he squeaks. “It was a rough night last night and we’re all on edge.”

“Well, if you want our help, come with us to investigate the cave,” Ryan says.

Flynt’s eyes widen almost comically. “W-Why m-me?” he asks.

“Because you asked for our assistance,” Ryan tells him. “You didn’t ask for us to take care of the problem ourselves. Besides if something is in that cave, we’ll need you to send word to have some of your fellow villagers bring tools to seal it. It’ll help slow the monsters until we can figure out a more permanent solution.”

 _Clever,_ you think, knowing that Ryan really wants to just keep an eye on the overly nervous man. You wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on him as well. The way he’s acting makes you want to reach for your dagger. But you hold back.

Flynt looks like he wants to argue but can’t find the right words. Eventually he gives a small nod. “Alright,” he agrees.

After gathering a few torches, the three of you set off towards the cave, Flynt leading the way. You know the cave isn’t far, but for some reason Flynt seems to be dragging his feet and taking his sweet time. He stops to speak to several villagers who are scouring some of the abandoned buildings for any useful supplies. By the time you reach the entrance, the sun is high in the sky and it’s past midday.

Looking at the cave once again causes your goosebumps to return full force and the hair on the back of your neck to stand up. Ryan doesn’t seem to have the same reaction but you can sense he is uneasy.

“Follow my lead,” Ryan says before taking a few steps into the cave. Flynt is between you both and you slowly reach behind you to clutch your hidden dagger.

Ryan’s sword is already in his hand and you notice him glance back over his shoulder. But before you can seize Flynt, the man swings wildly at you, a large rock in hand. All you can think about is the injury you received in the explosion and you immediately seize his arm. You push him backwards into the cave wall and see him grab one of the vines, yanking it.

There’s a loud rumbling sound and suddenly Ryan grabs you, pulling you back just as the cave entrance collapses, burying you both in the darkness. You both fall painfully to the ground, covering your heads with your arms to avoid being hit by the debris. The only source of light is one torch that managed to stay lit, which has rolled further into the cave. Once the rumbling stops, you and Ryan find yourself coughing from the dust and dirt in the air.

Ryan immediately gets to his feet and begins trying to move rocks out of the way. “Flynt!” you scream as you get to your feet. “Flynt, you son of a bitch!” You angrily slap your hands against the rocks, which of course doesn’t do much.

“I’m sorry!” a muffled voice comes from outside. “When I asked for your help, I didn’t know who you were. But when I learned…there’s a bounty for both of you. Our village could use the gold. I’m so sorry. I tried to keep you in the village so when they arrive there wouldn’t be bloodshed. They should be here by nightfall.”

“When we get out of here,” you say, looking at Ryan. By this point he has stopped trying to move rocks. “You will stab that man.”

“It’ll be my pleasure,” Ryan growls. The entrance is too blocked and the large boulders are too much for either of you to move. A cold breeze suddenly sweeps from behind you and you turn wildly. You quickly scoop up the torch and hold it above you head, casting the weak glow along the walls. But the cave is too large for it to illuminate the whole thing. Through the blackness in front of you, you seem some sort of light. But it’s not sunlight. It’s an eerie glow and makes you start to shake.

“Wait a minute…” Ryan says, examining the cave wall by the light of your torch. He touches the wall, causing dirt to fall to the ground and reveal the material underneath. “This isn’t stone.”

“What is it?” you ask.

“Obsidian.”

A sudden, ghoulish shriek sounds and Ryan grabs his sword from where it fell in the cave-in. He immediately stands in front of you, shielding your body with his own.

“But, that would mean…” you trail off, too scared to finish your sentence.

“This isn’t a cave,” Ryan says, forcing you to take a step back as the darkness is suddenly illuminated by a purple glow. Your torch flickers before it is snuffed out by a single gust of cold air.

“It’s a Nether portal.”


	5. Chapter 5

You feel someone touching your shoulder and your eyes fly open. 

You can’t see much but dark walls around you and dim purple light. You have no idea where the light is coming from, but you recognize it.

“Oh god,” you groan as you try to sit up.

“Careful,” Ryan instructs, placing his other hand on your lower back and helping you sit up. You can see that he’s sweaty and covered in soot. But in the dim light it’s hard to tell if he’s injured.

“What happened? Are you okay?” you ask wincing.

“The portal activated and when we were transported a fucking Blaze attacked,” he explained. “Was able to stab it but still got a few burns.”

“When we have our own kingdom,” you say. “Let’s try to limit the amount of fire we come in contact with.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Ryan says gruffly, helping you to your feet. You’re a bit dizzy, but otherwise unharmed. It seemed he was able to take care of the Blaze without it touching you. You’re grateful. The memory of being burned in Achievement City is still all too fresh in your mind.

“Any ideas on how to get back?” you ask, scouring the ground for your missing bow.

“This portal only seems to be one way,” Ryan says in a disappointed tone. “Probably got destroyed on the other side after it transported us. We’re going to have to find another portal back.”

“This day just keeps getting better and better,” you say bitterly. You locate your bow and draw an arrow from your quiver. “Please tell me you have a plan.”

“Don’t die,” Ryan offers. “Dying is bad. Don’t do it.”

You roll your eyes. “Great, thanks,” you say. “I’m a huge fan of dying, but your words really inspire me to give it up.”

Despite your heavy sarcasm, he gives you a small smirk before nodding forward. “We better go,” he says. “The quicker we find a portal back, the quicker I can strangle that asshole who gave us up.”

You agree and follow him out of the cave, your bow taut and your eyes sharp. His sword is at the ready and you both take slow, careful steps. The cave is small and it seems the Blaze was the only habitant as you emerge into the dark, smoky underworld known as the Nether. You look up but instead of sky, you see the thick, red mist that always seems to be around.

You hate the Nether.

The monsters are worse. The walls seem to close in on you. And you can never seem to find a quick way out when you need to.

The cave’s entrance drops of the edge of a cliff and you both stop well before the edge. Looking around the vast wasteland, you grimace as you spot several Blazes in the distance. Ryan points to a small speck in the distance.

A small purple speck.

“There,” he says. “There’s one.”

You squint but can’t really make it out. “If you say so,” you tell him, glancing down the cliffside in front of you as you relax your bow. “Going down?”

He smirks back at you. “In a different situation, I’d take you up on that offer,” he jokes, sliding his sword in its sheath.

“Well if we make it out of here, I’ll deliver,” you promise. “It’s not too far down. Few feet at least. But you better go first. I can shoot anything that comes this way.”

Ryan nods. “Sounds good,” he says. “Better than both of us getting attacked and falling.”

After examining the ledge a bit, he seems to find a good path down. Before he starts his descent however, he slips his hand behind your head and pulls you into a kiss. You look at him questioningly when he pulls away. “What was that for?” you ask.

He purses his lips and raises his eyebrow.

You pull away. “No,” you tell him. “We’re not doing that. We can both make it out of here. No ‘just in case’ or ‘if we don’t make it’ kisses.”

“If something happens-”

You cut him off. “We leave here together, or not at all. Got that?”

“Your confidence is inspiring,” Ryan tells you, turning back to the ledge.

“And your sentiment scares me,” you confess.

Ryan chuckles as he lowers himself to his knees and carefully climbs down over the ledge. “What can I say?” he asks, gingerly seeking a solid rock to rest his foot on. “I’m a changed man because of you.”

“Bullshit,” you tell him, drawing your bow again as you stand up straight. He laughs and slowly begins his climb down the cliff.

You keep your eyes peeled as you scan the bottom of the cliff and the sky. You and Ryan don’t speak. You know he’s concentrating on where to hold and you don’t want to distract him. Your stomach is in a constant state of knots.

You see a flash of yellow out of the corner of your eye and instantly fire your arrow at the Blaze that shoots by. It bursts into flame and wails as it falls past Ryan. It turns to ash before it hits the stone.

“Nice shot!” he calls up to you. You can barely hear him. You take a step closer to the edge of the cliff and look down. Your world spins when you realize that you are higher up than you originally thought. Ryan is reaching the ground and he looks tiny. Your vision suddenly swims before you.

Oh yeah. You’re terrified of heights.

“Okay! I’m down!” Ryan calls. “Drop your bow!”

With shaking hands you tie the strap of your quiver around your bow and gently toss it down. You then scoot back from the edge and take a deep breath.

“You alright up there?”

“I’m fine!” you call back, cursing your voice for shaking. You carefully ease over the edge and try to find the foothold Ryan used.

You have never held on to something so tightly in your whole life. As you slowly make your way down, you try hard to focus on the rocks in front of you and not the lack of ground beneath your feet. Occasionally Ryan calls up to you to stop you from putting your weight on the wrong rock, for which you are grateful. When you have been climbing for awhile however, he suddenly swears.

You hear the sound of something rushing past your ear and you look up in time to see an arrow hit a Blaze right above your head. Two more are right behind it. You cling to the cliff and shut your eyes, coughing as ash drops over your head.

“Let go!” you hear Ryan demand. 

Without thinking twice, you push yourself off the rocks and let go.

You feel yourself falling through the air before you're suddenly in his arms. You let out a shaky breath as you open your eyes in time to see a Ghast coming towards you, the two other Blazes just ahead of it.

Ryan sets you on your feet and you snatch your bow from where he had dropped it. He unsheathes his sword and tosses you your quiver as the Ghast moves closer, opening its gaping mouth. You shoot at the Blazes, dodging as they send jets of fire your way.

A ball of acidic slime and goo jets past Ryan. He barely ducks in time. It actually brushes his shoulder and that part of his shirt starts to sizzle and burn.

You shoot another arrow and it pierces through one Blaze before lodging into the second.

The Ghast opens it’s mouth again, and this time when it shoots acid slime, Ryan is ready and swings his sword, knocking the ball back at the Ghast. It lets out a pitiful scream as the acid burns it’s pale skin. You let a few more arrows fly, but the Ghast dodges them. It’s angry now and its sights are set on Ryan. It shoots another slime ball, but he hits it back just as easily as he did with the previous one.

The Ghast falls to the ground and Ryan stabs it in its open mouth before it can shoot anymore slime. It twitches and lets out a high pitch squeal before curling into a ball and shrinking, emitting its green acid blood all over the place.

Ryan pulls his sword out and you both hurriedly back away from the mess.

“Well that was tedious,” he drawls.

You lean back against the cliff as you try to catch your breath, clutching your chest. “My heart is going to explode,” you tell him.

“We’re alright,” he assures you, scrapping his sword against a large boulder in an attempt to get some of the acidic blood off. If it wasn’t made of diamond you both would have been screwed. “We should keep moving. There could be more nearby.”

You push yourself off the rock and take a moment to collect yourself. “Alright,” you say after a pause. “Let’s get going.”

You and Ryan begin your trek across the rocky terrain, tense and alert. You keep picturing your home on the beach and desperately wish you were back there now, swimming in the ocean or laying on the warm sand, instead of stranded in the dirty, dusty Nether covered in ash and sweat. “I miss home,” you mutter.

“So do I,” Ryan agrees, his steps falling in line with yours. He has a burn across his cheek and the skin of his shoulder is bleeding and dripping puss. “If you would have let me kill Flynt when we saw him, we wouldn’t be here.”

You glare at him. “Sure, blame this all on me,” you snap. “Let’s not forget that village actually does need our help. Flynt can go die in a fire, but those other people don’t deserve it.”

“How do you know they aren’t the ones who told him?” Ryan asks.

“Did you see their faces when we arrived?” you point out. “Not one of them avoided looking at us or ran away. Hell, they ran towards us. Flynt was the shifty one. He was the one who sold us out. Just him. I’m sure of it.”

Ryan looks doubtful, but doesn’t say anything. You fall into silence as you continue on.

When it sounds like something is following you, Ryan takes your hand and pulls you behind a cluster of rocks. You both watch as a grotesque looking humanoid lumbers past your hiding spot, its groans sending a shiver down your spine.

“Zombie Pigman,” Ryan whispers to you, clutching your hand tightly. “Don’t want to fight it if we can avoid it.”

You’re thankful for this. Once the Pigman is out of sight, you wait another few moments to make sure others don’t follow.

It’s hours before you reach your destination. Now that you’re a little closer, the purple speck Ryan pointed out does seem to resemble a portal. It’s smaller than the one you came through and more out in the open. Hopefully the portal on the other end isn’t damaged in any way.

“What do you propose we do once we dispatch of Flynt?” Ryan asks as you continue on your way.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” you tell him. “I’d rather avoid them if we can. But at the same time, we keep running, they keep hunting.”

“They are your friends,” Ryan says. “And even if they don’t remember, they were mine once too. I don’t particularly enjoy the thought of killing them.”

“Neither do I,” you say. “But we’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.”

You make your way over a large hill and there it is. The portal.

You realize that the valley in front of it is crawling with Zombie Pigmen. They move slow enough, but there are a lot of them. A horde can quickly take you down if you’re not fast enough.

“What do you think?” Ryan asks.

“Run,” you tell him. “I say we run for the portal and don’t stop no matter what.” You slide your arrow back into the quiver and put your bow across your back.

Ryan grips his sword tightly and quickly assesses the area in front of you. You know he’s looking for another option but there really isn’t any. He sighs after a moment and rubs his tired eyes. “Okay,” he agrees. “We do it your way then. On my count?”

You nod.

“One.”

You force yourself not to tremble.

“Two.”

You take a deep breath.

“Three!”

You both bolt through the valley towards the portal as fast as you can. The Zombie Pigmen spot you instantly and are on you in seconds. You are able to dodge the first few, but just barely. They begin to group up, moving towards you and Ryan at a faster speed than you anticipated. You hear a yell behind you and you turn to see Ryan sprawled on the ground.

You double back instantly and are at his side within seconds. You help him to his feet and you both book it to the portal.

A few of the Zombie Pigmen catch up to you, but you manage to escape their grasp. However, Ryan is limping and as you keep running he quickly falls behind. You make it into the portal first and turn to see the horde gaining on him. You remove your bow from your back and immediately start firing.

It barely does any good and the horde is closing in on both of you now. Even if you both make it in, the portal isn’t instant. The Pigmen will be on you before you can leave. Ryan is within arms reach when you feel the air around you heat up. The Pigmen are pulling him back as more come towards you.

You realize the portal is activating and it only takes you a split second to decide what to do. He’s saved your life already. You can’t leave him behind.

You leave the warm purple light and with all your strength, you take hold of Ryan’s arm and send him spinning into the portal without you.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” he shouts, grabbing the side to catch himself.

“Returning the favor,” you tell him as the Zombie Pigmen lock their arms around you. They block your view of him and you don’t even struggle as they pull you away. They are so focused on the flesh in front of them, they forget about Ryan. You barely feel it as they tear at you with their broken fingernails, their dead mouths hanging open as they bite at you.

Your world is spinning and your vision begins to dim.

Suddenly a few of of their heads go flying and Ryan is there, pulling you from their grasp as he waves his diamond sword around.

The Pigmen hiss and screech as he pulls you from them, towards the portal. He half drags, half carries you, limping on his sprained ankle. You break free of their grasp but they are still coming.

Ryan clutches you tightly. “Together or not at all!” he snaps. “That’s what you said before!”

You can’t help but smile through your pain. “I was afraid you’d say that,” you say.

He growls angrily at you before pressing his lips against yours in a desperate kiss as the horde surrounds both of you. You feel the air grow hot as the portal activates and then things go black.

You land hard on the ground with a Zombie Pigmen screeching above you, clawing at you. You yell and try to fight it off.

It’s head suddenly falls next to you and the limp body follows. A few Pigmen had come through with you, but they are now dead. The portal is still pulsing and you try to drag yourself from the small cave. Ryan shoves his diamond sword into a space between a few of the obsidian rocks and dislodges them, breaking the connection between the stones and shutting the portal down before more monsters can follow.

Once it’s clear you are finally safe, Ryan lowers his sword and drops to the ground next to you outside of the cave.

The cool night air is making you shiver. It feels great however. You can breathe easy as you take in the forest around you.

Ryan’s face suddenly looms over yours. “Don’t ever do that again!” he snaps. “I’m growing tired of saving your life.”

Despite his serious tone, you can’t help but let out a giddy laugh. “I won’t sacrifice myself for you next time then,” you say. “Especially if you’re going to bitch about it.”

He’s laughing now too and you both find yourselves breathless on the forest floor.

Eventually you both manage to stand and assess your surroundings. You actually aren’t as far away from the village as you thought you would be. Two Nether portals would cause the monster attacks the villagers were experiencing.

“Who builds a village in between two Nether portals?” Ryan grumbles as he struggles to help you stand. Your legs are working better than his however and you find yourself slipping your arm around his waist and helping him balance against you. His arm drops across your shoulders.

The scratches and bites on your arms and face are burning and you know you’ll have to take a potion when you get home to help prevent infection, but for the most part you don’t feel too terrible.

“Idiots, that’s who,” you tell him. “You didn’t have to come back for me.”

Ryan glares at you. “Of course I did,” he says. “Do you really think I would let you get ripped apart by those _things_?”

You purse your lips and don’t say anything. He isn’t exactly known for his mercy. Though you shouldn’t be so surprised he risked his life to bring you back with him. He had saved you under Achievement City when he very well could have let you burn. And that was after you attempted to kill him.

“I guess I’m stuck with you forever then, huh?” you say.

He curls his lips into a small smirk. “Wasn’t that what your whole speech was about the other day?” he asks. “You demanding to be by my side. Me telling you that I was yours. I assumed you meant forever. Was I wrong in my assumption?”

Something stirs inside of you at his question. After everything you had gone through together, it was a strange to think about the future and picture yourself at his side. True you had been the one to demand you be there. But ruling with him and actually being with were two different things. In that moment you had wanted nothing more than for him to actually admit he was yours and only yours. But now, take away the heat of the moment and the sexual urges between you two...what’s left?

It was trust. You couldn’t trust him until just now. You couldn’t trust that he would be right there without question. Trust is why you let go of the cliff without hesitation. And he did not betray your trust. Even when you gave him a chance to go on without you, he refused to take it. Could it be that he actually has developed some sort of twisted love for you? Have you for him?

“You were not,” you tell him, smiling softly. He smiles back briefly, before his face grows stern.

“We can’t fight like this,” he says as you both limp through the forest. “We can barely stand. But we need to confront Flynt.”

“I agree,” you say. “Hopefully we won’t have to.”

He smiles ruefully. “I suppose we shall see,” he says.

The sun has set already and the forest is nearly pitch black. You both are silent as you move towards the direction of the village. Its lights are the only ones in front of you and as you get closer and closer, you realize you don’t hear monsters. The portal you had first entered is most definitely destroyed. That alone would be enough to stop the slew of monsters, for awhile at least. With this second portal down, the village should be safe for now.

As you near the small collection of buildings, you lean towards Ryan. “Whatever happens, follow my lead,” you tell him.

He looks at you questioningly, but he doesn’t question you this time. You break free from the forest and slowly head into the village. As make your way to the gathering hall, the villagers on watch begin to take notice of you and they start calling to each other. Several of them rush to your side, offering aid. You and Ryan turn down their offer to help you walk.

“Open the doors,” you tell them.

They run ahead without question, opening the doors to the hall and allowing you in.

You hope your entrance looks as dramatic as it feels. The eyes of the terrified villagers all turn on you and several gasp and even scream. You wonder what you both look like: burned, bruised, cut, sweaty and covered in blood. Ryan’s hand still grips the diamond sword.

Flynt is across the hall and his eyes widen so comically you can’t even stop yourself from smirking. The chatter that was scattered as you entered immediately dies and everyone is watching you silently.

“Hello, Flynt,” Ryan says, breaking the silence with his crisp, angry voice.

Flynt doesn’t say anything. His mouth opens and closes but nothing comes out.

“We found the source of the monsters,” you say, addressing the villagers. “This village is located in between two Nether portals. We disabled them but we don’t know how long it will last. You either want to destroy them completely, or find somewhere else to live.” Your eyes fall on Flynt and he looks pale. You can tell he’s shaking.

“We actually have Flynt to thank,” you say. “He showed us to the cave where the portal was located. I’m assuming he told you all we were going to explore it?”

No one says anything at first. Eventually Flynt swallows hard. “T-t-that’s right…”

“He also told us you would not return,” one of the villagers says.

“I said it was unlikely,” Flynt says hurriedly. “M-my friends...I-I am so glad you returned…”

“I’m sure you are,” Ryan says. “If it wasn’t for your bravery, we probably wouldn’t have.”

“We would actually like to talk to you privately,” you say in a low voice. “We have some ideas on how to destroy the portals completely.”

Flynt is shaking. But with all eyes on him, he can’t refuse. “O-o-f course…” he says. You watch as he walks towards you slowly. You wait until he is close before you force him to move ahead of you. He leads you out of the building.

With news that the monsters are gone, the villagers follow behind you, eager to get to their homes. They are so distracted, they don’t see you and Ryan grab Flynt by his upper arms and drag him into the forest.

As soon as you are out of earshot from everyone, you and Ryan shove him against a tree.

“Where are they?” you ask softly.

Flynt rings his hands nervously. “They-they haven’t gotten here yet,” he says. “They must be delayed…”

“Are you meeting them here or somewhere else?” Ryan demands. 

“A-at the cave...we have a signal.”

Ryan straightens his stance. He slowly makes his way to Flynt, who tries to back up. He stutters apologies as his back hits the tree right behind him. Ryan reaches out and wraps his fingers around the man’s neck, gripping him tightly to keep him from running.

“We came to help you, Flynt,” you say. “We came to rid your village of the monsters like you asked. We would have helped you rebuild. We have shown you nothing but kindness and how are we repaid?”

“T-they offered coin! I need that coin for the village!” Flynt exclaims, struggling against the hand around his throat.

Ryan has plenty of strength left however, and he doesn’t budge as Flynt flails.

“Do your friends and family even know about the coin?” you ask, stepping closer. “None of them seem to even know anyone else is coming. How convenient for you? You go meet them in a secluded spot, hand us over, they give you the money and then you return to the village?”

His eyes widen even more and he purses his lips.

“Ahh…” Ryan says, a devious smile crossing his face. “I see now. You weren’t planning on returning, were you?”

Flynt’s bottom lip begins to tremble.

“You were going to take the gold and leave your village to die,” Ryan says through clenched teeth. “These people look to you and you were going to betray them!”

Anger flows through you and you can see Ryan’s hand trembling as he tightens his grip around the hilt of his sword.

Flynt sees it too and begins to struggle even more. Ryan brings the blade up and presses the sharp edge against the man’s throat.

“Here’s the thing, Flynt,” you say, your arms crossing over your chest. “For years now I have held on to the foolish hope that there is good in people. And unfortunately, I am proven wrong again and again. I have been betrayed in my life more ways than I can count. Ryan wanted to kill you the second you found our cabin...” Flynt lets out a pathetic sob. “But I stopped him. I saw a man who needed our help and I was weak.”

You lean closer so your breath is tickling his ear.

“But, this is the last time I show weakness, Flynt,” you say.

“M-Mercy!” Flynt begs. “P-please! M-m-mercy!”

“You’ve already seen the last of it,” you snap. “Ryan is going to kill you. But more importantly…” You can’t help but narrow your eyes. “I am going to let him.”

You pull away and Ryan silently drags his blade across Flynt’s throat. The man doesn’t have a chance to plead anymore. Blood flows freely from the gash and he drops to the ground as soon as Ryan lets go.

Looking down at his body, you feel nothing. Not sadness. Not remorse. Not empathy. You look at Ryan and he’s staring at you with a guarded expression.

“In this new regime,” you say softly, looking back down. “Disloyalty will not be tolerated.”

Ryan slides his sword back into its sheath and takes your hand. “Agreed.”

You both turn your back on the village and disappear into the forest.

**EPILOGUE**

“My lady?”

You have been staring out the window for a few moments, but turn as soon as you are addressed. “What is it?” you ask sharply. 

The servant lowers her eyes quickly. “I am sorry to disturb you,” she says. “But the King is requesting your presence in Court.”

You grip your skirts as you turn, your back straight and your head held high. Despite yourself, you allow a small smile to cross your face. “Married ten years and he still requires my presence.”

The servant smiles shyly. “It’s very romantic, my lady,” she says. “If it’s not too bold.”

Your smile fades and you grow stern. “Very well,” you say, brushing off her words. “I will head there now. You are dismissed.”

Her smile immediately disappears and she nods before quickly leaving. You take a moment to collect yourself before marching from the bedroom you share with your husband. As you walk swiftly, guards and servants bow in your presence and hurry to get out your way. You ignore them.

When you reach the Court, the doors are opened for you.

And then there he is. The King. Your King.

It always warms your body to see him sitting there on his throne. Where he belongs. His face breaks into a smirk as he sees you and he stands. You take his offered hand as you approach him and he seizes the opportunity to pull you into a rough kiss. You smirk back, but gently push him away.

“None of that now,” you tell him.

“Later then,” King Ryan says, his hand wandering down from your waist to cup your backside. One of the guards clears his throat.

You give him a playful hit on the chest. “Stop that,” you hiss.

King Ryan leads you to your seat next to him and waits until you are situated before he sits.

“I don’t know why you require me to be here,” you tell him. “You have handled open Court countless times without me.”

“I like having you here,” he says. “Besides, I think your presence puts the peasants at ease.”

“I’ve heard the opposite,” you respond. “Also, it’s so _boring_.”

Ryan chuckles. “Of course it is,” he says. “But you were the one who demanded it happen.”

“Yeah, I was kind of hoping you had forgotten that fact,” you say.

He outright laughs this time. It echoes through the large hall. “See, you being here is already making it infinitely better.”

A guard steps forward. “Are you ready, my King?” he asks.

Ryan waves his hand impatiently. “Yes, yes, open the doors then,” he says. “Let them in.”

You straighten yourself in your seat and erase all playfulness from your face. You’ve gotten very good at hiding your emotions over the years. You’ve had plenty of practice.

The hours drag by as subject after subject comes before you with complaints and requests. Most are reasonable: more glowstone for town squares, Creepers destroying crops, new Nether portals discovered and needing to be dealt with.

But others are petty and it takes everything not to roll your eyes. Squabbles between neighbors never have anything to do with the Court but still they come and waste your time.

Two men begin to yell at each other right in front of the steps to the throne. One was requesting payment for work and the other denying the worker was hired. Eventually their yells begin to give you a headache and you stand with a glare.

A hush falls across the room and the two men stop instantly. You have to admit, that is one thing you don’t get tired of.

You make your way down the steps until you are standing right in front of them.

“Did you hire this man for a job?” you ask in a hard voice.

The man glares at his neighbor but mumbles. “Yes.”

“And did he pay you?” you ask the other man.

He bows his head to you, his tattered hat clutched tightly in his hands. “No, my Queen.”

You turn back to the previous man. “Mr. Coal, is it?” you ask. He nods. “Mr. Coal, as a merchant you are required by law to register as such with the Court, am I right?”

“Yes, my Queen,” Mr. Coal says.

“And when you did so, you signed a contract with my Steward,” you say, motioning to the man standing to your left. “Is that correct?”

The merchant begins to fidget. “Yes, ma’am,” he says.

“Are you aware, Mr. Coal, that neglecting or refusing to pay those you employ is in fact against the laws of our kingdom?”

“That’s not true!” Mr. Coal snaps.

You hear Ryan immediately stand behind you. With a glance over your shoulder, you put up a hand to stop him. “So you are calling me a liar?” you ask the merchant.

His glare suddenly falls and he grows pale. “No-no, my Queen!” he says hurriedly.

“But you just said I wasn’t telling the truth,” you remind him.

“Please, forgive me!” he exclaims, dropping to his knees. “I only meant that I do not recall seeing such a law.”

You look over at your Steward. “Kerry, if you please,” you say.

Kerry removes one of many scrolls from the box next to him and comes to your side. He unrolls it and reads the mentioned law clearly for all the Court to hear. When he finishes, Mr. Coal is shaking and his cheeks are red. You can tell his anger is flaring.

“Mr. Coal, pay the gentleman next to you and remove yourself from my presence.” You turn to head back to your throne.

“I can’t,” you hear mumbled behind you.

You stop and turn back to him. “Excuse me?” you ask.

“I said, I can’t,” Mr. Coal repeats, his voice shaking with contained anger. “I don’t have the money.”

“Then you are violation of our laws and will therefore forfeit your lands and titles to the kingdom,” you say waving a dismissive hand. “Guards, please escort this man from the room.”

“No!”

You sense the knife before you see it. You grab his wrist as he lunges at you and slide your dagger out from one of the hidden pockets in your dress. The sharp edge digs into his throat and gently breaks the skin. Guards rush at Mr. Coal and surround you both before Ryan can get to your side.

“On second thought,” you say icily. “Escort this man to the dungeons. He will hang tomorrow at dawn. Kerry, make a note to seize his lands for the crown. Make sure this gentleman here is paid appropriately for the work he has done for Mr. Coal.”

King Ryan is next to you and rests a comforting hand on your back. “Court is adjourned for today, we will hear from no one else,” he addresses the crowd. “Guards!”

You slip your dagger away as Ryan leads you from the room.

“See, this is why I didn’t want to come to Court,” you tell him as soon as you are out of the room.

“Things do tend to get a bit dicey when you do, I will admit,” Ryan says. He pulls you closer. You walk for awhile before he speaks up again. “We have some time to ourselves for a change. Join me in our room?”

His eyes are sparkling.

You can’t help but smirk back. “And why should I?” you tease, despite allowing him to gently pull you into the bedroom you two share.

He closes the door behind you and gently presses you against the door. “Because, my Queen,” he says, pushing your skirts up. “There is still the duty of producing an heir to the kingdom.”

“Duty?” you ask raising your eyebrows as you unbutton his tunic. “I see. It is my duty to have sex with you?”

“Of course not,” Ryan says, gently sliding his fingers against your sensitive flesh. You can’t help but moan when he does. “But I do think it’s about time we actually discussed the topic of an heir.”

You don’t respond. His mouth falls to your neck and he removes his hand from your skirts so he can attack the ties to your bodice. “Hmm, these are a bit looser than usual,” he comments, undoing the barely tied knots. “I see someone wanted me to have easier access.”

You snort with laughter. “Always thinking about yourself, my darling,” you say with a smirk.

“What other reason would you leave them loose?” he asks. You can feel his smirk against you neck and you shudder.

“Can you not guess?” you ask. There is something in your tone that causes him to pause and pull back. He searches your face for a moment. Before his eyes widen slightly with understanding.

“Oh…”

“‘Oh’?” you repeat, resting your hands on his shoulders. “‘Oh’ what?”

For once he is speechless. It only lasts a moment. “Do we even need to...discuss an heir?” he asks taking a step back.

You chuckle. “I think we can go ahead and say we have that covered,” you tell him.

He laughs and wraps his arms around you, pulling you into a bruising kiss. You kiss him back hungrily, your hand gently plucking the crown off his head so you can run your other hand through his hair. He knocks it out of your grasp as he hurries to finish untying your dress. You pull him by his tunic towards the bed and grin wickedly.

“No more talking,” you say breathlessly. “The Mad Queen needs her King.”


End file.
